


i think i love you (do i know you?)

by somniums



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, jazz bar accidentally triggered a 24k fic, side gahmi, side suyoodong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:41:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23236384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somniums/pseuds/somniums
Summary: “Do we know each other?”Siyeon narrows her eyes. There’s something about those starry eyes that hits way too close to home — but she can’t tell why, no matter how hard she tries.orSiyeon might have lost Kim Jiu years ago, but at least she knows Kim Minji will stay.
Relationships: Kim Minji | JiU/Lee Siyeon
Comments: 28
Kudos: 175





	i think i love you (do i know you?)

**Author's Note:**

> hello, everyone!
> 
> i'm super excited to finally publish this work! i love singji and i had a great time writing this, so i hope you guys will like it too! ♡
> 
> [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4bVCZCuapp6J8gvIC7NO1M?si=_AEW77BNSquTUuN1ZcW0RQ)
> 
> edit: i changed my username! i was singjibbo, now i'm somniums!

“You have to go!”

“No.”

“But it’s Handong’s big day! We have to be there!”

“ _You_ have to be there. You’re her girlfriend, not me.”

“Siyeon, what the fuck? She’s your friend!”

Siyeon sighs, massaging her temple as she pushes herself up into a sitting position. “I have important things to do.”

Yoohyeon groans and throws a pillow right into Siyeon’s face. The girl almost falls flat into her bed again. “Watching _Parasite_ for the tenth time isn’t important, supporting Handong is!”

“Hey, it is important!” Bora complains from the other side of the room. Yoohyeon gives her a dirty look.

“Thank you! Finally, someone who understands my needs.” Siyeon throws her arms in the air dramatically, only to receive a _anything-but-intimidating_ glare from Yoohyeon.

“I didn’t say it was more important than getting your lazy ass out of your bed and being a good friend to Handong, though.” Yoohyeon’s eyes finally soften and she high-fives Bora, the two of them bonding over enjoying their friend’s betrayed expression a little too much.

Siyeon runs her fingers through her blue locks, sighing dramatically. She hates going to loud places, especially bars, but a sacrifice for one of her best friends wouldn’t hurt. It was a one time thing, after all. She would survive.

“Fine, I’m going!” Siyeon finally gives up, regretting her decision as soon as Bora’s yelp cuts through her sensitive ears. “But I’m only staying for two hours. Two hours and me and my car are out of that place. Understood?”

—

_It’s midnight_ , the numbers on her phone screen let her know, which means four hours passed by since they arrived and she is still stuck in that stupid jazz bar.

She wants to kill Yoohyeon, and she knows the task won’t be that hard considering how drunk the girl is. But she’s been all over Handong since the performance ended, squeezing her girlfriend’s cheeks and showering her with all kinds of compliments, and Siyeon wouldn’t take the risk of accidentally hurting an angel like Handong because of her stupid best friend.

She often wonders how her best friend ended up with such an amazing girl like Handong. But then she remembers Handong once described her ideal type as _tall and kind of silly_ when they first met, and she realizes that there was no way those two weren’t made for each other.

On the other side of the table there is Gahyeon — _her younger sister_ — Yubin — _the last member of their little group_ — and Bora laughing at some absurd story the latter just shared. She could try to persuade Gahyeon and leave with her, but unfortunately her little sister wasn’t a kid that could be bought with a promise of _free ice cream_ for a month anymore.

Siyeon sighs. She is the only one who’s sober, also the only one with a car, so it isn’t like she can just leave them behind. Plus, she loves her friends and their company, even though they can be a pain in her ass sometimes. 

(She enjoys it way more when it’s just the six of them going crazy in her apartment, though.)

Eventually, she gets tired of Bora’s explicit stories and decides to get herself something to drink. Sure, she couldn’t have alcohol, but after hours of talking — _and of telling Bora to tone it down when her voice gets too loud, which is all the time_ — her throat was practically begging for any liquid to go down.

So she gets up and walks towards the counter, bumping into countless shoulders until she finally gets there and takes a sit, not even bothering to read the menu before making her boring order.

“Excuse me, can I get a bottle of—“

_Oh, fuck._

She was expecting to see the same kind old guy from when they arrived when she looked up, not a smiley purple haired woman that looked way too pretty for her own good.

She was startled. But judging from the way the woman’s smile drops and her mouth hangs open for a few seconds, she wasn’t the only one.

The beauty in front of her narrows her eyes, tilts her head to the side and shamelessly analyzes her face for a few moments until the blinding smile finds its way back to her lips again.

“Do we know each other?”

Siyeon hates the fact that she isn’t drunk, because now she can’t even blame the alcohol for the things that woman’s voice is making her feel.

It’s Siyeon’s turn to narrow her eyes, and she has to admit the woman looks familiar. There’s something about those starry eyes, that beautiful smile that hits way too close to home — but she can’t tell why, no matter how hard she tries, and it’s making her frustrated beyond words.

She doesn’t let it show, though — she can’t embarrass herself, at least not in front of this oddly familiar purple haired goddess.

“I don’t think so.” Siyeon finally answers, and she mentally pats herself for not stuttering and managing to not make a fool of herself.

“Well, I’m glad we met now,” The woman smirks and Siyeon swears she almost dies on the spot. “What can I get you?”

Oh, right. Her boring order. She almost forgot she’s not here just to flirt with the pretty bartender. “A bottle of water, please.”

A knowing smile spreads on the woman’s face as she turns around to grab the order from the freezer. “Driving?”

“Yeah,” Siyeon sighs as she takes the bottle, taking a big gulp of water and automatically closing her eyes at the pleasing sensation. “I hate my friends sometimes.”

The bartender laughs, her eyes turning into two cute crescents, and Siyeon dies one more time. “You’re with Handong, right? The girl that sang here for the first time today?”

“I am,” Siyeon nods, resting her chin over her palms as she leans on the counter. “You know her?”

The woman hums. “We started taking some classes together this semester and eventually became friends. She freaked out when she found out where I work, and here we are now.”

Siyeon laughs, finding the story amusing but at the same time familiar. “Dongie is kind of shy but she’s not afraid to go after what she wants.”

“And it’s impossible to say no to her.”

“Right!”

The two of them laugh some more until another costumer comes and the woman eventually has to go, much to Siyeon’s dismay.

At least, she doesn’t forget to throw Siyeon a tempting look over her shoulders, the painfully breathtaking smile taking over her delicate features again. “See you around?”

Siyeon bites back a smile, grabs her pitiful water bottle and gets up from her sit. “See you around.”

—

“Oh my god, Siyeon— I missed you _so_ much! You’re like, my best friend, you know that right? Oh my _god_ ! I love you _so_ much! Not the same way I love Handong but’s it’s like— a lot!”

Siyeon rolls her eyes as she drives, focused on the road while she tries to ignore Yoohyeon’s endless love confessions. 

“Handong, are you sure you can handle her alone?”

“Don’t worry,” The girl answers, lips curling up as she pats Yoohyeon’s head affectionately. “I’m used to it.”

—

“I feel like trash,” Yoohyeon announces as she makes her way into Siyeon’s apartment, Handong trailing closely behind her.

Siyeon, not amused by the sudden intrusion, can only scoff from the couch. “Of course you do.”

“I don’t know why you had to drink so much last night,” Bora, the first one to arrive, complains in a motherly tone as she returns from the kitchen with a glass of water in her hands. She hands it to Yoohyeon and proceeds to wrap her arms around Handong’s waist.

“I was happy,” Yoohyeon whines, “But i’ll never drink like this again. Like, ever.”

“You always say that.” Siyeon protests and Yoohyeon ignores her, too busy trying to find a way to fit into the hug without dropping water all over the floor.

“By the way, where’s Yubin and Gahyeon?” Handong questions after she takes a look around the living room, missing the two familiar faces.

“They’re at Gahyeon’s dorm,” Siyeon says with a shrug, not looking much into the situation, but she narrows her eyes when she sees Bora is wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “What?”

“Come on, Siyeon,” Bora finally detaches her arms from Handong’s waist and moves to the couch, sitting beside her friend with a loud thud. “You can’t be that dense.”

Siyeon stares blankly at Bora, then at Yoohyeon and Handong, and she still has no clue where this conversation is supposed to go or what the hell is she supposed to know. “What?”

“Oh god,” Bora whines in disapproval, massaging her forehead with both of her hands. “You’re worse than Yoohyeon before she started dating Handong.”

“Hey!” 

“Just tell me!” Siyeon complains, successfully cutting the bickering that was about to start, crossing her arms over her chest like a child. “My brain doesn’t work properly at morning.”

“It’s 2PM!” Bora exclaims while pointing to her phone screen, growing more frustrated by the second. “Okay, fuck it. We think Gahyeon and Dami have a thing. That’s it.”

Siyeon blinks once, twice, opens her mouth to protest and then she frowns. “Since when?”

“Three months, I guess?” Handong ponders, taking a sit at the other couch with a cuddly Yoohyeon on her lap.

“Three months?!” Siyeon gasps. “And none of you told me?”

“Siyeon, darling,” Bora takes a dramatic deep breath and places her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “You do realize you’re Gahyeon’s sister, right? You should’ve realized something was happening before any of us.”

Siyeon wants to protest again, but no words come out of her mouth. She leans further into the couch, staring at the television without paying attention to whatever the characters of the movie were saying. 

“She does get a little too excited talking about Yubin…” She mumbles, the gears in her brain finally starting to turn. “And they’re always at her dorm, too.”

“You’re finally connecting the dots!” Bora claps excitedly, followed quietly by Handong. Siyeon groans at the sound. “I hope we’re right, they would make a cute couple.”

Siyeon was about to voice out her frustration for not realizing the _sort of obvious_ situation before when Handong yelps after taking a look at her phone, immediately apologizing with a peck to a hungover Yoohyeon. 

“I’m sorry girls, but I promised to work on a project with Minji,” Handong apologizes as she tries to get up without much success, the girl on her lap becoming impossibly clingy after she announces she has to leave.

“Minji? Who’s Minji?” Bora asks and Siyeon turns to Handong with curious eyes.

“Oh, she’s a friend from college,” Handong explains. “She works at the bar I performed yesterday.”

Siyeon freezes. Right, the woman from yesterday. The beautiful, extremely familiar woman from yesterday that shook her world with just a smile. With all the chaos in her apartment the incident from last night completely slipped her mind. 

_Until now._

“I’ll see you guys later?” Handong asks by the door, and it’s only then that Siyeon realizes she’s probably been spacing out for minutes. 

“Yeah, sure,” Siyeon answers without missing a beat, hoping she doesn’t sound as affected as she is.

The door closes and Siyeon’s back falls back into the sofa, a sigh escaping her lips.

_Minji_. The woman has a name now, a beautiful one at that. It fits her like a glove.

But it doesn’t help Siyeon understand the uneasy feeling inside of her chest, the voice at the back of her head telling her that she should know who she is. 

_Minji_. It’s common, but she never met anyone with this name before.

At least, that’s what she thinks.

—

It’s ten o’clock when Handong returns. Siyeon, Bora and Yoohyeon are sitting on the floor with a bowl of popcorn in front of them, while Gahyeon and Yubin — _who arrived holding hands a few hours after Handong left and almost gave Siyeon a heart attack_ — throw chips at each other on the couch, movie completely forgotten.

Yoohyeon almost drops the can of coke she’s holding when she notices her girlfriend’s presence, stumbling over Bora’s legs before she gets to the door and engulfs the girl into a bear hug. Siyeon bites back a laugh at her friend’s pained expression.

“Why are you so disgusting?” Gahyeon complains, pausing her current battle with Yubin to throw a chip at the couple’s direction. The other girl chuckles, clearly pleased with the scene, and they high five each other.

Yoohyeon leans down, grabs the chip and eats it, ignoring Gahyeon’s disgusted protests. “You’re just jealous of us.”

The younger girl snorts. “You wish.”

“Did the project go well, Dongie?” Bora speaks up, tired of her friends’ childish banter. 

“Yeah, it took a long time but we did a pretty good job.” Handong answers with a proud smile on her face, taking a seat beside Bora. 

Yoohyeon joins her girlfriend on the floor, snuggling to her right side while Bora hugs her waist from the left one. Siyeon snorts at the scene.

“Minji told me about last night, Siyeon,” Handong starts lightly, and suddenly every single eye in the room is stuck on Siyeon’s face. She gulps.

“O-Oh, she did?” She laughs nervously, scratching the back of her neck.

“What about last night?” Gahyeon sits up, an amused — _and sort of devilish_ — look plastered on her face.

“Yeah, Lee Siyeon, what about last night?” Yoohyeon asks with an specific teasing tone that annoys the shit out of Siyeon, and she swears that if Bora and Handong weren’t between them she would’ve pinched her arm until it turned purple.

“Apparently they met when Siyeon got up to grab something to drink,” Handong explains, saving a clearly overwhelmed Siyeon from even more embarrassment, “She straight up asked me who my cute friend was — and at first I thought she was talking about Bora, but then she mentioned she was tall and I knew it was Siyeon.”

Gahyeon breaks into a laugh and Bora slaps her leg before the girl could tell one of her many jokes about her friend’s height. Or the lack of it, to be honest.

“Cute friend, huh?” Yoohyeon wiggles her eyebrows. “Did you flirt with her, miss Lee?”

“What? No— No, I didn’t.” Siyeon hugs her legs, resting her chin over her knees as if she was trying to disappear.

“I don’t know about that, but one thing’s for sure,” Handong starts, and Siyeon lifts her head up. “She looked oddly surprised when I told her your name.”

Siyeon feels her heart turn painfully cold. “Really?”

“Mhm,” The girl nods. “She looked… lost in her thoughts for a while?”

“That’s weird,” Bora shrugs, leaning her body even more into Handong’s.

“Not really,” Siyeon speaks up in a quiet voice, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips. “She did ask if we met before yesterday.”

Yoohyeon frowns. “And why do you look so sad about it?”

“Because she looks familiar, but I have no idea why.” She groans, letting her back fall on the multiple pillows scattered all over the ground.

“She did look like she connected a few dots earlier,” Handong reasons. “You can just ask her about it.”

Siyeon groans again. “When?”

Yoohyeon’s face immediately lights up. “Handong has a performance tomorrow.”

_No. No, no, no. A thousand times no._

“No, don’t even think about it. There’s no way I’m going back to that bar.”

—

Siyeon finds herself sitting on the same table, surrounded by the same people on the same bar again.

It almost feels like deja vu, Yoohyeon — _not completely drunk and out of her mind yet_ — being all over Handong while the other three laugh at one of Bora’s ridiculous stories. Although this time, Siyeon manages to catch Bora glancing over to the overly affectionate couple a few times. It physically hurts her to fight the urge she has to snicker at the scene.

There’s the whole Gahyeon and Yubin thing, too. She watches with wide eyes as her sister caresses Yubin’s thighs from under the table when she thinks no one is looking. _At least there’s no more room for doubt now_ , Siyeon concludes as she pretends to be focused on something in her phone.

But as much as _Temple Run_ keeps her hands busy and makes her seem less awkward to other people, it does nothing to numb the wave of thoughts running wild inside of her mind. 

According to Handong, Minji’s shift starts at midnight — which is _very_ soon, and being aware of that is doing no good to Siyeon’s nerves.

“Calm down, Siyeon,” Handong speaks up, startling the girl. “Minji is harmless.”

Yeah, she might be harmless, but that doesn’t change the fact that Siyeon is anxious to know about how the woman knows who she is. That and the fact that Siyeon can’t help but being attracted to her, of course. It’s a dangerous combo.

“I’m calm.” She complains, finally letting go of her phone. 

“Your bouncy legs tell me a different story.” Handong arches her eyebrows and Siyeon visibly deflates. There’s no use in trying to lie to Handong, she should know that by now.

“Okay, maybe I’m a little nervous. Just a little bit.”

Handong’s gaze softens and she pats Siyeon’s shoulder. “It will be oka— Hey, Minji!”

Siyeon nearly falls from her chair at the way Handong abruptly raises her voice to grab her friend’s attention, and then she nearly falls again when the person turning her into a nervous mess shows up at their table.

When she said midnight was very soon, she meant it in _fifteen minutes_ soon. Not in _right now_ soon.

Handong properly introduces Minji to each of them, starting from Gahyeon and ending it with Bora. When she turns to Siyeon, she makes a small pause and smirks before continuing with her speech.

“And this is Siyeon, but you already know that,” She says it in a teasing tone, but Minji just laughs it off, not seeming affected by it. 

Siyeon wishes she could say the same about herself. 

“By the way, can I borrow you for a second?” Minji asks shyly, playing with her fingers as she stares at Siyeon with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

Siyeon panics for a split second as she considers her options. Then she looks up again, sees Minji tilting her head to the side while patiently waiting for an answer, and realizes there’s no way she could say no to this woman. At least not when she looks this adorable.

“Uh, sure,” Her voice comes out barely above a whisper, and she’s surprised that Minji managed to understand her through the loud music and chatter.

Minji beams at her and gestures with her head for Siyeon to follow her lead, and she does it without looking back — not because she’s determined, but because she knows her friends are already being annoying about the situation and that Yoohyeon wouldn’t let her live if she saw how red her face was.

Before Siyeon knows, she finds herself inside a small room, one she assumes it’s for employees only. She frowns as she takes a look around the place, about to question if she’s even allowed to be there, but Minji beats her to it.

“It’s okay, you’re not the first person I bring here,” Minji giggles but the sound stops abruptly when she notices Siyeon’s face is becoming redder by the second. “No— _My sister_! I brought my sister here!”

Siyeon tries to suppress a laugh behind her fist at the woman’s evident panic, but a chuckle escapes her lips when Minji’s shoulder drops and the bartender lets out another giggle. 

“People say I look like a _casanova_ , but I swear I’m not!” Minji defends herself again and it only makes Siyeon laugh harder, to the point where her stomach starts aching.

When the laughter dies down and Siyeon finally looks up, she realizes Minji is looking at her in the same way she did earlier — but this time there was a nostalgic yet hopeful glint in her eyes, one that makes something flutter inside of Siyeon’s chest.

“So,” Siyeon clears her throat, “You wanted to talk to me about something?”

“Oh, right,” Minji giggles awkwardly, finally taking a sit on one of the chairs. “Remember when I asked you if we knew each other?” Siyeon nods as she moves to another chair, and Minji goes on. “It turns out… we do. We know each other.”

It’s funny, how Siyeon already had an idea of what was about to come out of Minji’s lips, but she still finds herself taken aback by the confession. Maybe it’s the way the woman says it, with such conviction yet so softly, that makes Siyeon bite her lips in anticipation.

“When I first saw you I thought it was impossible, but…” She chuckles lightly. “You’re Lee Siyeon, from Daegu, right?”

“Yes.” Siyeon confirms weakly, looking down at the mention of her hometown. 

Minji seems to notice her discomfort, playing with the hair tie on her waist as she considers her next words for a few seconds, but her lips decide to betray the tense atmosphere by breaking into a small smile as she finally says, “It’s me, Siyeon. Kim Jiu.”

The whole world stops as Siyeon tries to absorb the new information. She feels a pang in her head as memories of her early teenage years start to flood her mind, and even though she loathes most of them, she doesn’t hate the thought of Kim Jiu.

Siyeon hasn’t heard that name in forever. _Ten years_ , to be more specific. It’s been ten years since she last heard about Kim Jiu, and now she’s right there, in front of her, looking at her with those same starry eyes from when they were younger.

She silently wonders how could she forget about them. Wonders how could she not recognize them the second she locked eyes with the woman in front of her the other day. 

But as she suppressed all the unpleasant memories she had of her hometown as she grew up, Siyeon ended up forgetting about Kim Jiu and about everything she once felt for her, too.

Just as she came down from her shock and was about to say something to the woman glancing expectantly at her, a loud knock on the door made the two of them jump on their seats, successfully bursting the emotional little bubble they were trapped in.

“Minji, your shift is about to start!” A feminine voice shouts, making Minji gasp as she takes a look at the clock on the wall. _11:59 PM_.

“ _Shit_ , I have to go,” She winces, throwing her bag over the table and putting her hair up in a messy ponytail. “Can we continue this another day?”

They lock eyes one more time and Siyeon feels the urge to grab Minji’s wrist and beg her to not leave _again_ , but she just closes her hand in a fist and nods, flashing the woman a small, weak smile. 

“Sure.”

Minji smiles one last time before she’s out the door, her rushed steps on the wooden ground reminding Siyeon that she should probably go back to her friends now. 

In a slower pace, Siyeon finally leaves the cramped room behind, too. 

—

“How did it go?”

Yoohyeon is the first one to ask, moving her chair to sit closer to her best friend. Siyeon only offers her a tired, apologetic smile, “I don’t think we’re in the best place to talk about it.”

The remaining five share a worried look with each other and, without uttering a word, all of them start collecting their belongings and getting up from their sits. 

Yoohyeon places a hand on Siyeon’s shoulder and flashes her an understanding smile. “Let’s go home, then.”

Siyeon couldn’t be more grateful for the amazing friends she had.

—

“Wait, so she’s that old friend you told us about?” Yubin questions, quickly connecting the dots after Siyeon explains the situation.

“Yeah,” Siyeon sighs, closing her eyes as she rests her head over Bora’s thighs. “That was years ago and we were drunk, how do you even remember that?”

Yubin shrugs. Handong clears her throat, scratching her neck awkwardly.

“I probably wasn’t part of the group yet, so I think you guys are gonna have to tell me the entire story.”

Siyeon opens her eyes at that and Yoohyeon flashes her a worried look, but Siyeon lets her know it’s okay with an assuring nod. Handong is her friend and she deserves to know — all of them deserve to hear about it when she’s sober, not drunk and sobbing like a helpless child.

They’re her _family_ , after all.

So Siyeon tells them. Tells them about how she met _Kim Jiu_ at a park next to her school when she was fourteen, when she was crying on one of the swings because her dad acted like trash once again, and Jiu was the only person who stopped by and asked her if she wanted to talk about it. 

It’s kind of funny when she thinks about it now, how the girl didn’t ask her if she was okay first, but just took a sit on the empty swing beside hers and offered her an ear. Jiu was different from everyone else she knew ever since day one.

Then she tells them about how much she hated the fact that they didn’t go to the same school, but that even with that obstacle, they got close and her life became brighter after the fateful day at the park. The four months they spent together were magical and, by far, the most precious memory Siyeon had of when she lived in Daegu.

But then, one day, Jiu disappeared from her life, leaving nothing but a small letter over the swing she used to sit on everyday.

_I’m really sorry, Siyeonie, but I had to go. I wish I could tell you everything but it’s way too complicated. Please take care of yourself, okay? I’ll never forget you. Love, Jiu._

Siyeon tells them about how her life became even more miserable after her only friend left the city without a proper explanation, leaving a hopeless and worried little Siyeon behind at the empty park, holding the friendship necklace she was supposed to gift Minji that day.

What she doesn’t say — _because there’s already a few tears falling from her eyes and because it will only make her chest ache more_ — is that Jiu, now Minji, was her first love. 

It’s not like it was hard to fall for her. She was beautiful, kind, owner the prettiest smile Siyeon had ever seen and she liked her for who she was — an awkward, quiet little kid that carried way too much pain on her chest for such an young age.

For four months, the girl was there to hold her tight whenever her heart was broken into pieces. 

Four four months, the girl was there to listen about her day and make it better when she had a bad one.

When she left, only sorrow remained.

Siyeon can’t even register the moment she stops talking and Bora engulfs her into a tight hug, followed by Handong and Yoohyeon, then by Gahyeon and Yubin.

They remain in a comfortable silence for a while until Gahyeon, who also shed some silent tears as Siyeon went through her story, decides to speak up.

“Even though I was young and we didn’t live together, I remember how hard that time was for you,” She sniffs, drying her eyes with the back of her hand, “But I’m glad you had her, even if it was just for a while.”

“Me too.” Siyeon nods tiredly, still lost in her own thoughts after digging up so many old memories that were too hard to bury in the first place. Gahyeon leans down and places a gentle kiss on the top of her sister’s head.

“Now all you have to do is listen to her side of the story,” Handong smiles, placing a supportive hand over Siyeon’s shoulder.

“I’m dying to know why she left, but I’m also…”

“Afraid?” Yubin completes the sentence for Siyeon.

“Yeah,” She sighs. “Exactly.”

“Let’s see things on the bright side,” Yoohyeon suddenly starts, clearing her throat before continuing. “Now you have the chance to get a proper closure instead of just pretending that part of your life never happened. Trust me, it will be good for you.”

“Yoohyeon has a point,” Bora agrees. “And how crazy is it that the two of you met again after ten years in a completely different city? I don’t know much about this, but I think the universe is trying to tell you something — give you a second chance, I don’t know.” 

“ _Wow_ ,” Yoohyeon says it in an ironic tone, and Siyeon already knows that chaos is about to start. “Who would’ve known that Kim Bora is secretly a philosopher?”

“Kim Yoohyeon!” Bora shouts as she flashes the girl a deadly glare and, before they know, the emotional atmosphere is gone and there are pillows flying everywhere around the living room.

It’s two in the morning, they’re all worn out after a long day, but it’s never too late to make each other laugh — even if it was all at Bora’s expense. 

And in the middle of their little mess, Siyeon forgets about it.

Even if it’s just for a while.

— 

Minji is the first thing on Siyeon’s mind when she wakes up the next day.

It reminds Siyeon of the old days, where Jiu’s smile was the only thing she would think about as she stared at the neon stars glued on the ceiling. She wondered if her friend was already up, if she had a nice night of sleep and what cute ribbon she would be using on the top of her perfect ponytail that day.

_Ten years_. She wouldn’t have imagined she would meet her old friend again even in her wildest dreams.

But now that they met, that they found each other, Siyeon knows she can’t risk losing her again. _Maybe Bora was right_ , she realizes now that her friends weren’t around to make fun of Bora’s words anymore, maybe the universe is, indeed, trying to give their friendship a second chance.

Maybe it was too precious to end with just a letter. Or to end, at all.

With that in mind, she removes her phone from behind her pillow and types a quick message to Handong.

**siyeon**

_hey dongie!!! could you give me minji’s number? :)_

—

“So, did you text her?”

Siyeon, Bora, Handong and Yoohyeon are killing time at a coffee shop next to their university. The first three are sipping on different types of coffee while silently judging Yoohyeon, who had crumbs from the strawberry cake she was having all over her face.

Well, at least Siyeon knows she is full on judging Yoohyeon — she can’t say the same about the other two, their fond smiles doing an amazing job at betraying their teasing words.

“Not yet, Dongie,” Siyeon pouts. “And I don’t know when I will.”

“What do you mean you don’t know when you will? You have to do it! Quickly!” Yoohyeon protests, raising her fork to Siyeon’s direction and everything, and if it wasn’t for the pink dots coloring her cheeks, Siyeon would’ve probably taken her threat seriously. 

“It’s not because I don’t want to, silly,” Siyeon rolls her eyes. “It’s because… I don’t know, she seems busy. She studies and works at the bar late at night, wouldn’t it be a selfish to ask for some of her time?”

Bora drops her head on the table. Yoohyeon groans. Handong is the only one that doesn’t show an exaggerated reaction, but Siyeon doesn’t miss the quiet sigh that escapes her lips.

“Didn’t she says she wanted to continue the conversation?” Handong asks. Siyeon nods. “So?”

Siyeon is about to give them another argument, but Bora cuts her before a single word could come out of her mouth. “She’s nervous.”

Siyeon deflates on the chair. She hates how well Bora knows her sometimes. “I am.”

Handong frowns. “You didn’t sound nervous when you asked me for her number earlier.”

“I’m bolder when I’m sleepy, you guys should know that by now.” Siyeon pouts, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Handong squirms on her seat and Siyeon flashes her a questioning look. The blonde tries to play it cool by taking a sip of her coffee, but Siyeon’s gaze doesn’t drift away from her face for a second.

“Spill.” Siyeon narrows her eyes, and Handong sighs in defeat.

“Okay, so, I might’ve already given your number to Minji. Even before you asked me hers,” She smiles sheepishly, and Siyeon’s mouth falls.

“That means she can, like, text me anytime?” Siyeon laughs nervously, and she can sense Yoohyeon and Bora holding their laughs from their seats.

“Yes,” Handong bites her lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, I didn’t want you to get too anxious about it.”

Siyeon breathes in and offers Handong a gentle smile. It’s impossible not to be soft for Handong. “It’s okay, Dongie.”

“ _It’s okay, Dongie,_ ” Bora mimics in a childish voice. “If it was me or Yoohyeon we would be dead by now.”

“Well, would you ever get mad at such a pretty face?” Siyeon questions while squeezing Handong’s cheeks with both of her hands. The chinese girl is clearly uncomfortable, but she doesn’t budge.

Bora opens her mouth to protest, but nothing but a defeated sigh comes out. “You have a point.”

Siyeon is ready to give Bora a nonchalant speech about how she _always_ have a point, but then her phone vibrates and the words die on her tongue.

(She almost lets her coffee fall on the floor, too. But the shock from the sudden notification is so big that she doesn’t even notice.)

She grabs her phone in such an ungracious that it almost slips from her fingers, but she manages to keep it in place while holding it with both of her hands.

“Siyeon, you’re going to break your phone like that,” Bora hisses, hitting the blue haired woman’s shoulder. It only makes Siyeon lose balance again.

“If I don’t hold it tightly I’m gonna drop it,” She hisses back. “Will you buy me another one if that happens? Huh? Will you?”

“Jesus christ, just check the damn message already,” Yoohyeon says tiredly, bending her body to the side so she can rest her head on Handong’s shoulder. The older one can only pat her girlfriend’s hair in response.

Siyeon curses under her breath and finally unlocks her phone, fighting back a scream when she notices the message came, indeed, from Minji’s number.

**kim minji**

_hey, it’s minji!_

_i asked handong for your number, i hope you don’t mind :))_

“You don’t mind, right, Siyeon?” Bora teases, and Siyeon pulls her phone away from her friend’s field of vision.

**siyeon**

_hey! and no it’s fine :)_

**kim minji**

_cool! so uh, about the other day…_

_i was wondering if we could meet tomorrow?_

_i don’t have work and my only class got cancelled, so…_

_only if you’re free, of course!!_

Siyeon wants to smile at Minji’s cuteness, but she’d rather die than give her friends another reason to tease her for the entire day.

**siyeon**

_tomorrow sounds great!_

_where can we meet?_

**kim minji**

_there’s this new coffee shop next to my house..._

_[address attached]_

_but if it’s too far away for you we can always find another place!!_

Siyeon fights back another smile. She’s still as considerate as when they were younger. It makes Siyeon curious about what else didn’t change about her in ten years.

**siyeon**

_no it’s okay! we can meet at this coffee shop!_

**kim minji**

_cool!!_

_see you tomorrow singnie :)_

Siyeon gasps at the use of her old nickname, the one Jiu— _Minji_ gave her right when they first met. It fills her with warmth, but at the same time it hits her heart with a pang of nostalgy.

She knows why it hurts — it’s because she missed it.

But after moving to Seoul, after so many years of suppressing any memory she had from hometown, she didn’t notice. At least not until now.

**siyeon**

_see you tomorrow, jiu_

—

Siyeon barely takes a sip of Bora’s milkshake before she dashes out of class, running towards the parking lot with her backpack almost slipping from her shoulder. She unlocks her car and throws herself in, yelping in pain as she ungracefully hits her hand against the steering wheel.

She checks the time on her phone for the nth time that afternoon. _3PM_. She has to hurry if she wants to get to the place she agreed to meet with Minji in time. Still hissing, she presses play on her driving playlist, starts the car and finally heads towards her destination.

It will take at least forty minutes for Siyeon to get to the coffee shop, and although she’s exhausted after a day full of tiring classes, she knows it will be worth it. 

She stops at a red light and rests her head against the window, humming to the slow song that just came on shuffle. She taps her fingers on the glass, completely absorbed in the melody filling the car. 

It doesn’t take too long for her mind to drift back to the purple haired woman she was about to meet. 

She thinks about the messages they exchanged and sinks on her seat, biting her lips to contain a smile, even though she’s completely alone and no one is going to make fun of her for it.

She also remembers what Bora told her this morning, when the realization that she was about to have a _real_ conversation with her oldest friend hit her way too hard in the face after drinking two cups of black coffee.

“Don’t you think she’s nervous too?” Bora reasoned, stopping Siyeon from ordering yet another cup of coffee before she dies from a heart attack, “She’s in the same situation as you, and even though we don’t know why she left, the fact that she found you after so many years is probably fucking her up too.”

Bora was right. Minji’s mind is probably a mess too — heck, maybe she’s having it worse than Siyeon, considering how much explanation the woman will have to do today. And even though she’s not fond of the thought of Minji having a hard time at all, she knew they would be there to listen, to heal, _for each other_ , even if it was just for one afternoon.

After so many years apart, so many doubts, so much _pain_ , she knows that’s exactly what they need — what they _deserve_.

The light turns green. Siyeon composes herself, checks the time once again, and drives.

—

Siyeon gets there after forty five minutes. 

She admires the entrance for a while, taking in the yellow and pink flowers giving life to the edges of the windows, and if she didn’t know, she would have mistaken the place for a flower shop instead of a coffee one. 

She checks her reflection in the glass, fixing her hair and her cardigan before finally pushing the door, hearing the bells ringing above her head as her heart starts to race.

Siyeon narrows her eyes as she scans the place for bright purple hair, until she finds it in a table hidden at the very back, right next to a window. She gulps and takes a deep breath as she takes slow steps towards the woman. _It’s time_.

Minji seems to notice her presence as she walks, turning around and flashing her a smile that almost has Siyeon freezing in her tracks. 

Minji is just so, _so_ beautiful. Painfully so.

Siyeon used to think Jiu was the prettiest girl she had ever seen, but nothing in the world would be able to prepare her for Minji.

That’s one of the reasons why she should’ve known, back then when they met again at the bar without knowing who each other were. 

Her beauty, her smile, her aura — they were unmatched. 

Siyeon returns the smile, as naturally as she can, and takes a sit in front of the woman she couldn’t stop thinking about from the moment she woke up. 

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

Minji chuckles at their awkward greeting, and even though Siyeon could feel the nervousness in her laugh, she couldn’t help but to be mesmerized by the sound. 

At the same time, a waitress comes to their table to take their orders. Minji goes for a cappuccino while Siyeon settles for a caramel macchiato, afraid Bora would read her mind and kill her if she had more black coffee that day. The waitress excuses herself and they find themselves staring at each other in an awkward silence, which Minji decides to break.

“So,” She looks down, playing with her fingers. Siyeon finds it adorable. “I’m sorry about the other day. About leaving, I mean.” 

“No, you don’t have to apologize for that,” Siyeon’s voice raises sightly as she shakes her hands. “It’s your job. There was nothing you could do.”

“Still,” Minji winces. “I could’ve talked to you another day, outside of work, and not just drop a bomb at your lap and leave.”

“It’s okay, Minji,” Siyeon laughs, trying her best to assure the woman. “We’re here now, aren’t we?”

Minji finally looks up and her lips curl up in a smile. Siyeon takes it as a win. “Yes,” She hesitates for a while, then continues. “And I like it.”

Siyeon frowns. “What?”

“The way you say Minji. It’s the first time you call me by my name.” 

Siyeon is at a loss for words, realizing that it is, indeed, the first time the name comes out of her mouth. 

She likes it, too. She likes it a lot.

“It’s a beautiful name,” She says after a while, smiling back at the woman in front of her. It sends chills down her spine when their eyes meet again.

Minji nods, and before she can continue the conversation, the waitress returns with their drinks. They thank the woman and take their cups, taking small sips before putting them down.

The purple haired woman squirms on her seat, and Siyeon looks expectantly at her. She can see Minji is having a hard time finding the right words to say and, without giving it a second thought, she places her hand above Minji’s cold ones. 

Minji looks up at Siyeon with her big brown eyes shining with shock and something else Siyeon can’t figure out what is, and she almost regrets her decision. But then Minji lets out a relieved sigh, her other hand landing delicately above hers, and she realizes she did the right thing.

“I don’t know how to start this but— I can’t believe it’s really you,” Minji squeezes her hand, a small laugh escaping her lips as she shakes her head in disbelief. “You’re really here.”

Siyeon laughs too, but she can already feel herself becoming emotional because of where this conversation is heading. And if the way Minji doesn’t dare to look away from her eyes means anything, the woman isn’t much different from herself.

“Trust me, it’s hard to me to believe it too,” Siyeon confesses, looking down for a second before finding Minji’s gaze again. “I missed you a lot, back then.”

Siyeon feels Minji’s hand become tense after her confession. The woman looks outside and bites her lips. “I missed you too. I’m sorry I—“ A shaky breath escapes her lips. “I’m sorry I left like that.”

Siyeon knows Minji has more to say, so she gives her hand a squeeze to let her know she’s here, and that she’s ready to listen. 

Minji finds her eyes again, and when Siyeon offers her a gentle smile and nods with her head, she takes a deep breath and starts talking.

“I didn’t tell you much about my parents back then, but they were very rich. I spent my entire life thinking it was because they worked hard, and considering how me and my sister barely saw them because they were always busy with work, it wasn’t really that hard to believe. But it turns out they only had money because they took it from innocent people. Basically, they were scams,” Minji laughs bitterly. “One day, while and my sister were still asleep, some guys broke into our house and started breaking everything. They ran away before the police got there, but when they did, they took my parents away with them.”

The more Minji talked, the darker her eyes became. It made Siyeon’s heart hurt, and as much as she wanted to say or do something to comfort her, she knew she had to listen to the story until the end.

“My aunt came a few hours later to take me and my sister to Seoul with her. I asked her for a piece of paper in the car, and that’s how I wrote you that letter,” Minji looks up, trying to stop any tears from falling. It doesn’t work for long, and soon her cheeks start to become wet. “We stopped by the park and I left it there. I remember being so frustrated— not only because I didn’t want to say goodbye to you like that, but because even though I wanted to, I couldn’t say much either. My mind just wasn’t working.”

At the sound of Minji’s first sob, Siyeon gets up from her seat and joins the woman at the other side, engulfing her in a tight hug without thinking twice. It’s only then that Siyeon realizes she started crying too, and she allows herself to rest her head on top of Minji’s as the woman buries her face at the curve of her neck.

Siyeon runs her hands up and down Minji’s back, heart breaking into a million pieces everytime the woman sniffles, and suddenly it feels like she’s fifteen all over again. Except, this time, she’s not the one being held. 

It feels good to be able to take care of Minji after everything she did for her years ago.

“It’s okay,” Siyeon whispers to Minji, and she has to stop herself from pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s okay.”

Minji’s tears stop falling eventually, her breath becoming calm again, but she doesn’t let go of Siyeon. Siyeon doesn’t mind one bit.

“That’s basically it. That’s why I left, and how I ended up here.” Minji concludes.

Siyeon nods, slowly taking all the new information in. 

She spent part of her teenage years wondering about what happened to her friend before she buried everything at the back of her head, but now that she’s here, with Minji, and knows the truth, she finds herself stuck into a hurricane of emotions — she’s relieved now that she knows, now that she heard it all from Minji’s mouth, but at the same time her heart can’t help but to be filled with pain because of what happened to her old friend.

She thinks about the bright little girl she loved feeling lost and helpless because of the harsh way her life turned upside down, and the thought alone is enough to make her feel sick to her stomach.

She fights back the tears and takes a deep breath, taking in Minji’s strawberry perfume before pulling away slightly, only to be able to look into her eyes. Siyeon takes in Minji’s red cheeks, puffed eyes and slightly disheveled hair and she wants to curse out loud because, even like this, she still makes her heart beat faster because of how ethereal she looks.

Minji looks away, slightly tilting her head to the side, and it’s only then that Siyeon notices she’s been staring for longer than she should. She blushes, a nervous giggle leaving her lips as she scratches her neck.

“So, are you going to say anything?” Minji teases, and Siyeon finally snaps back to reality.

“I’m really sorry all of this happened to you,” Siyeon’s tone is serious, but gentle at the same time. “I wondered a lot about what happened to you, but somehow this never crossed my mind.”

Minji nods, understanding. “I thought everyone in Daegu would be talking about what happened, but my aunt said the police covered the case pretty well.”

A comfortable silence falls between them after that. Siyeon doesn’t dare to break it, opting for resting her chin on her palm as she mindlessly admires the woman sitting beside her. Minji is too busy gathering her thoughts to pay attention to whatever Siyeon is doing, anyway. It’s a _win-win_ situation.

_I should probably go back to my sit now_ , Siyeon realizes as she stares at her forgotten coffee at the other side of the table, but when she tries to move, Minji wraps her fingers around her wrist. Siyeon blinks slowly, completely dumbfounded, and Minji giggles behind her fist.

“ _Stay_ ,” She asks quietly, sending goosebumps down Siyeon’s spine. “I don’t mind.”

“Okay,” Siyeon breathes out, trying not to make it obvious how the butterflies had found their way back to her stomach after a long time. “I’ll stay.”

Minji smiles, so big that her eyes curl up and disappear into shiny crescents, and it’s impossible for Siyeon not to follow her. 

Siyeon wishes she had a camera to register that moment — Minji smiling as her eyes stare back at hers with a glint of nostalgia, but with undeniable happiness and relief shining on them. 

Siyeon is proud of Minji. She’s burning with pride because even though she knew more than anyone how painful scratching old wounds could be, Minji did it without giving it a second thought — because she trusted her, and just like Siyeon, she believed their friendship was worth fighting for, even now that they were no longer just two messed up teenagers against the world.

Siyeon squeezes Minji’s hand as if she was trying to let the woman know, for the second time that day, that she wasn’t going anywhere — she was going to stay.

Minji’s squeezes it back, caressing her skin with the tip of her fingers. Siyeon breaks into another smile, and takes it as an answer.

  
  
  


They leave after paying for their drinks, laughing at the fact that they paid for something they barely touched, both too immersed in each other’s company to remember about the lonely cups sitting at the table.

It’s already dark outside when they step foot outside of the coffee shop, and Siyeon frowns when she takes a look at the time. It was barely _6PM_ , but the dark clouds taking over the sky made it look like it was past midnight.

She’s about to comment on the unexpected weather when she notices Minji is shivering beside her, holding her arms around her torso in an attempt to bring her some warmth to her cold body. Fondness spreads over her as she watches the scene, removing her cardigan and placing it safely over Minji’s shoulders.

Minji is taken aback for a moment, staring at Siyeon with wide eyes as she shakes her hands dismissively. “No, it’s okay, I swear I’m not that cold.”

She motions to remove the piece and give it back to Siyeon, but the younger girl doesn’t let her, keeping the cardigan in the same place she put it with both of her hands. “Keep it. I don’t want you to get sick.”

Minji is about to protest again, but then a strong wind hits her face and she decides to drop it. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Siyeon plays it cool, but inside she’s screaming at how cute Minji looks with her clothes and how the sight alone is enough to send a wave of warmth to every inch of her body. She even forgets it’s cold for a while. 

She’s so lost in her feelings that she doesn’t notice the way Minji is staring at her with a playful glint in her eyes, only coming back to her senses when the woman decides to speak up again.

“Look at you,” Minji starts, voice filled with amusement, “You grew up to be such a gentlewoman.”

Siyeon snorts, trying to fight back a smile at the compliment. “I’ve always been a gentlewoman, haven’t I?”

Minji pretends to think hard about it, and Siyeon watches her expectantly. “Not really. You were too cute and too shy for that back then.”

Siyeon scoffs, placing a hand over her chest as she pretends to be offended by Minji’s words. “You mean I’m no longer cute?”

Minji bites her lips, her bright eyes exposing how much she was enjoying their fake banter. “You’re still cute,” She confesses, having way too much fun with the way Siyeon blushes at her words, “But now you’re cool too.”

Siyeon chokes at Minji’s words, looking away for her heart’s sake as she clears her throat awkwardly. “T-Thanks.”

“Did you just stutter?”

“I didn’t!”

“You totally did!”

The discussion goes on, until the two of them are cackling so hard on the sidewalk that other people start to eye them like they have gone insane. It only makes them laugh harder.

Suddenly, it feels like all of those years never passed — like they were still Siyeon and Jiu, not bothering about coming back home after class, laughing at some stupid joke in an abandoned, quiet park.

“I’m really glad we found each other again,” Minji confesses in a small voice when the laughter dies down, and the fluttery, floaty feeling takes over Siyeon’s senses once again, stronger this time.

“Me too, Minji,” She sighs contently. “Me too.”

—

Siyeon finds it weird when she comes back to a peaceful apartment, frowning deeply as she doesn’t find a single sight of her friends in any of the rooms.

No, they don’t live together, but ever since Siyeon disappeared for twenty four hours after a party and had all of the girls worrying sick about her, they decided that having a copy of each other’s keys was extremely necessary.

_“What the fuck? I didn’t disappear”_ , Siyeon had tried to reason as she opened the door for her exasperated friends that fateful day, “ _I was sleeping!_ ”

As expected, they didn’t care about whatever she had to say, and now they had free access to get into her apartment whenever they felt like it — which was, for the lack of a stronger word, very often.

Siyeon shrugs and throws herself on the couch, not wasting a second before checking their group chat.

**dongie**

_we’re not coming over today_

_and by we i mean me yoohyeon and bora_

_sorry :((_

**stupid**

_why are you apologizing? she’ll love not having us around_

**dongie**

yoohyeon!!!!

**stupid**

_sorry : < _

**tiny devil**

_these two..._

_anyways, let us know how it went later siyeonie :)_

**tiny devil but make it lee**

_we want the details!!_

**yub**

_don’t hide anything from us_

Siyeon goes from suspicious, to amused, to excited as she reads all the messages her friends sent her. She wonders what the hell Handong, Yoohyeon and Bora could possibly be up to, and at the same time she can’t wait to gather all of them and tell them about how everything went well, perfectly even, with Minji.

**siyeon**

_i’ll tell you guys everything tomorrow_

_for now, let’s just say bora was right about something for once :)_

—

When Siyeon arrives at their usual meeting place the next day, the first thing she notices is that Bora isn’t at her usual sit, but between Yoohyeon and Handong — _absolutely weird_ , Siyeon thinks, but doesn’t dare to utter a word — and that Gahyeon and Yubin, for once, decided to join them.

Gahyeon seems to read her sister’s mind and decides to be the first one to speak up. “There was no way we would miss your story time. Now spill, we don’t have much time before our first class.”

Siyeon eyes her suspiciously, but then giddiness takes over her as her mind goes back to the events of the previous day, and she decides to save the _Gahyeon and Yubin are obviously fooling around with each other_ subject for another occasion.

The words fall out of her mouth with ease, a clear contrast to the previous days where she would think a thousand times before bringing up anything that had to do with Minji and her past, but now she finally felt free. All of the wounds she had to open were finally beginning to heal.

Her friends are staring at her with nothing but pure happiness in their eyes, even Bora and Yoohyeon who always had a snarky remark at the tip of their tongues were genuinely glad and listened to everything she had to say until the very end, and Siyeon felt like she could explode from pure joy at any moment.

“I’m so glad everything turned out fine,” Gahyeon cooes, squeezing Siyeon’s cheeks and engulfing her sister in a tight hug. Handong joins them from the other side, patting Siyeon’s head affectionately.

Siyeon almost forgets she’s older than the both of them for a second.

“I’m really happy for you, Siyeon,” Yubin leans over the table and gives her shoulder a squeeze. Siyeon flashes her a grateful smile.

“See, I told you she was going through the same as you!” Bora exclaims excitedly, the cake chocolate she was sharing with Yoohyeon long forgotten in front of them. 

“She’s gonna brag about being right for a whole month,” Yoohyeon mutters under her breath, but Bora hears it and wastes no time before slapping the younger’s arm. Yoohyeon sinks on her sit and winces — _way too dramatically_ — in pain.

Siyeon can’t help but chuckle at the scene, too happy to be able to fight back a laugh her friend’s usual bickering. She doesn’t miss the way Handong stares at them with something different shining in her eyes, a fondness that Siyeon wonders if it’s new or if it has always been there and she was too dumb to notice. 

_For Yoohyeon, yes,_ Siyeon thinks, and she has no doubt about that. Handong had always been a fool for the taller girl. _But for Bora…_

Siyeon shakes her head, bringing herself back to the real world. Maybe the entire Gahyeon and Yubin thing made her look way too hard into things that probably didn’t mean anything.

“Aren’t you going to order anything?” Bora asks, and it’s only then that Siyeon realizes that the topic already changed. Bora raises a threatening finger to her face. “No black coffee this time, miss Lee.” 

Siyeon rolls her eyes, but a small chuckle leaves her lips. “Relax, mom, I’m not going to have black coffee.”

Bora huffs, “Good, now get your ass up and get something to eat, we need to go to class.”

Gahyeon whines as she takes a look at the clock on the wall. “We have to go too. See you guys later?”

All of them agree in unison, and soon enough Gahyeon and Yubin are out the door. Siyeon follows the pair with her eyes and snorts when they proceed to hold hands as soon as the door closes behind them, probably forgetting they can still see everything from inside.

“They’re not even trying to hide anymore, are they?” Yoohyeon asks incredulously, a scoff following shortly after.

“Probably not,” Siyeon shrugs, getting up from her sit and throwing her backpack over her shoulders. 

Before she can turn around to grab something to eat, Handong taps her shoulders and gets closer to be able to whisper in her ear. “I’m singing tonight. You’re coming, right?”

Siyeon raises her eyebrows, understanding exactly what Handong meant with her words. “Yes, Dongie. I’m coming.”

“Good!” She claps her hands like a happy child and Siyeon chuckles at her excitement. “Minji will be happy to see you there.”

Siyeon grins from ear to ear. “Trust me, i’ll be very happy to see her too.”

—

Siyeon arrives at the bar right when Handong is taking over the small stage. She hisses under her breath and makes a beeline towards her friends, who are already gathered at their usual table.

“I thought you wouldn’t come for a second,” Bora whispers, picking up her bag from the chair next to hers for Siyeon to take a sit. The remaining five stare at her with questioning looks painted on their faces.

“Traffic decided to be a little bitch today,” She explains, massaging her temples as she sighs exasperatedly. “But at least I got here in time.”

“Good, because Handong would be sad if you didn’t.” Yoohyeon narrows her eyes, and Siyeon can only roll hers as an answer. “Now shut up because my baby is about to start.”

Siyeon feels tempted to lean over the table and slap Yoohyeon’s nape for being an annoying brat, but Handong starts singing and suddenly the table becomes peaceful, five pairs of eyes focused on nothing but their friend’s flawless voice.

When the performance comes to an end, Handong receives a standing ovation and the bar explodes in cheers. But even with all the noise, the five of them manage to stand out by screaming louder than the rest of the customers, successfully grabbing the blonde’s attention from the stage. The singer can only laugh at the scene, jumping from the stage and not wasting any time before she throws herself in her friend’s arms.

“You did really well!” Gahyeon exclaims, high fiving the older girl who’s currently struggling to move, both of her sides being crushed by Yoohyeon’s and Bora’s arms.

“Seriously, how can you be so good?” Siyeon feigns offense. “I feel humiliated.”

Handong playfully shoves her and both of them chuckle. “You’re always such a drama queen, but thanks for the compliment.”

They shower Handong with love and support for a few more minutes before they finally sit down again, clapping excitedly as the chinese woman announces the drinks are on her tonight. Siyeon scoffs at that, the realization that she’s about to spend another sober night while her friends have as much alcohol as they want hitting her hard in the face.

Handong laughs at Siyeon’s reaction, nudging her feet under the table to grab her attention. “Stop pouting! You’re here to see Minji, not to get drunk.”

Siyeon’s face becomes warm at the mention of the woman she’s dying to see, and tries to hide it by leaning her head on her sister’s shoulder. “When is she coming anyway?”

“ _I don’t know,_ ” Handong sings as she stares at her nails, a smirk surfacing at the corner of her lips. Siyeon has a bad feeling about it. “Oh, and I might’ve told her you wouldn’t come tonight.”

“What— _Why_?!” Siyeon nearly breaks her neck with how fast she lifts her head from Gahyeon’s shoulder, fully aware that she probably sounds like a cheap squeaky toy after raising her voice.

“To surprise her?” Handong says like it’s obvious. Siyeon buries her face on her palms, groaning.

“Okay, maybe that’s valid,” Siyeon concludes after having a _two-minute_ crisis behind her hands. “And cute, even.”

“It’ll make her day, believe me,” Handong gives her an assuring nod and Siyeon decides to trust her. Handong is never wrong, anyways.

The topic dies and soon they’re all immersed in what Bora has to say next. She talks about how the dance studio she’s a part of is going to hold a mini concert in a few weeks, and makes a small pause in her monologue before she announces that she’s getting a solo performance, choreographed entirely by herself.

The table bursts into cheers again, and Yoohyeon becomes so excited for their friend that she places a quick kiss on her cheeks, one that has Bora blushing like a tomato for a long, embarrassing period of time. Siyeon narrows her eyes and flashes the smaller girl a suspicious look, failing to notice how Yoohyeon smirks and winks at her girlfriend who’s watching them with a knowing smile on her face.

The drinks come, Yoohyeon and Bora become louder with each gulp they take, and their night out starts molding into something Siyeon is all too familiar with. She settles by scrolling through her social media and watching her sister look at Yubin as if the girl was the most beautiful constellation she had ever seen.

_Whipped_ , Siyeon mutters under her breath, and soon enough her focus returns to her instagram feed.

That’s until Yoohyeon kicks her legs under the table, and before she could kick back and shower the girl with offenses, her best friend motions towards the door with her head and Siyeon’s heart stops.

There she is.

Minji makes a beeline towards the counter and Siyeon eventually misses her in the crowd, but the brief sight of the woman was enough to make Siyeon swoon.

_Why?_ Because Minji is wearing her cardigan, even though she has no idea that she’s here. 

She’s not wearing it to give it back to Siyeon, she’s wearing it simply because she wanted to, because she liked it, and the new information is making Siyeon feel a series of things she knows she shouldn’t — a series of things she hadn’t felt in forever.

That’s another thing about Minji that didn’t change after such a long time, Siyeon notices. She still makes her feel lightheaded with the simplest of actions.

She wakes up from her daydream when she feels an impact on her legs again, but this time the kick came from Bora, who’s smaller but, somehow, way stronger than Yoohyeon. 

Her hands close in two fists as she closes her eyes, trying to contain the urge she feels from screaming because of the pain she’s feeling. “What the fuck, Bora?!”

“Get your ass up!” Bora exclaims, and she sounds almost offended, “Go talk to her! _Go_!”

Siyeon manages to kick her friend’s leg in revenge before she all but flies out of her chair, not even taking a look back to see a tired Handong holding an exasperated Bora in place by her shoulders.

She takes a sit and politely dismisses a few bartenders who offer to take her orders, stretching her neck as she looks for any trace of purple hair, but gets nothing.

A few minutes pass and, just when Siyeon is considering wasting her headphones in one of those beat games, Minji shows up with her long hair tied up in the cutest bun she’s ever seen. 

Siyeon watches as the woman’s face goes from shock, to confusion and then to pure delight when she finally notices her presence, running to where she’s sitting and taking her hands over the black counter that is separating the two of them.

“What are you doing here? Handong told me you wouldn’t come today!”

Siyeon smiles shyly, not noticing when she starts caressing Minji’s hands with her thumbs. “She wanted it to be a surprise.”

Minji smirks, “I’d love to receive more of these little surprises.” She finishes it with a wink.

Siyeon scoffs to hide how affected she is by the action. “And you said you weren’t a casanova.”

“And I’m not,” Minji stands up for herself, a smirk still playing at the corner of her lips, “But I never said I wasn’t a flirt.”

Siyeon tries to feign annoyance, but it doesn’t last long as a smile takes over her face. “Whatever you say.”

A loud, content chuckle comes out of Minji’s mouth and Siyeon takes her time to appreciate the sound before the older woman composes herself and speaks up again. “I guess you’re still driving so, water?”

Siyeon nods. “Water it is.”

Minji hands Siyeon a cup and pours water for her. “I brought your cardigan,” She starts, closing the bottle. “I’ll go get it for you—“

“Don’t.”

Minji looks puzzled. “ _Don’t?_ ”

“Don’t,” Siyeon shakes her head, chuckles behind her fist. “Keep it. It looks great on you.”

That’s enough for the tip of Minji’s ears start to gain color. Siyeon finds it amusing ( _and extremely adorable_ ) how she didn’t even need to bring up the fact that she saw her wearing the cardigan earlier to get her flustered. 

“Come on,” Minji whines, giving Siyeon’s arm a weak shove. “Let me get it.”

“No,” Siyeon hums, “Even if you give me I won’t take it back. It’s yours now.”

Minji opens her mouth to protest, but it falls shut as Siyeon stares back at her with a defiant look on her face. “Fine, you won.”

Siyeon smiles behind her cup before taking a sip. “Good.”

Minji is about to continue their talk when another customer arrives, flashing Siyeon an apologetic smile before rushing to the other side of the counter to take the man’s order.

Siyeon rests her cheek over her palm, a silly smile blooming on her lips as she taps her fingers on her face and watches Minji work. The woman seems to notice, looking over her shoulders and flashing Siyeon a wink before moving to grab a bottle of a red drink that she can’t recognize.

_My face is probably as red as that drink_ , Siyeon realizes and cringes internally, shifting her focus to the nearly empty cup of water in front of her.

Siyeon becomes so distracted by the nice jazz song that’s playing at the bar and the way the glass vibrates everytime she flicks at the cup that she barely registers when Minji pokes her cheeks to grab her attention.

“A penny for your thoughts?” The woman rests her chin over her closed fists and tilts her head to the side, eyes shining in expectation. 

Siyeon’s heart skips a beat at the endearing sight. “Nothing, you just seem to really like your job.”

“I do,” Minji beams, then a dreamy sigh slips out of her mouth, “But I have bigger dreams.”

“You do?” Siyeon smiles, “Tell me all about it.”

“My dream is to work at a bar like this one, but as the owner,” Minji confesses shyly, biting her lips as she takes a look around the place. Siyeon stares for a second, blushing hard before drifting her gaze back to Minji’s hopeful eyes. “That’s why I’m majoring in business.”

Siyeon smirks playfully. “I’ll get free drinks from your bar, right?”

“As long as you’re not driving.”

The two of them chuckle, but soon the atmosphere shifts into something more serious as Siyeon takes the woman’s hands in hers. “You’ll make it, Minji. I’m sure you will.”

Minji seems shaken by her words, and Siyeon’s stomach drops because it’s painfully obvious how she doesn’t hear them often. The purple haired woman lets out a shaky breath and squeezes Siyeon’s hands, lips curving up in a small, yet thankful smile. “Thanks.”

“I’m just telling the truth,” Siyeon shrugs with a grin.

“No, not only for this,” Minji’s grip on Siyeon’s hands become firmer, and the older woman takes it as an opportunity to intertwine their fingers. Siyeon’s heart nearly jumps out of her chest at the action. “But for showing up today, too. It made my night.”

“It’s nothing,” Siyeon shakes her head. “I really wanted to see you, though, so this was kind of a selfish move.”

That is enough for Minji to laugh again, and Siyeon is starting to get used ( _and somehow, addicted_ ) to the adorable sound that comes out of the woman’s mouth everytime she makes a playful remark.

“Am I interrupting something?” Handong pops behind Siyeon and the blue haired woman nearly faints on the spot.

Her hands finally let go of Minji’s. She immediately misses the warmth. 

“You totally are,” Gahyeon says, eyebrows raised at the chinese woman. 

Siyeon looks over her shoulder and realizes all of her friends are there, clearly drunk and offering her suggestive looks. She gulps and starts praying to every single deity she knows.

“No, it’s okay,” Minji shakes her hands in the air. “You guys want to order something?

“We’re actually on our way out,” Handong explains with an apologetic smile. “Yoohyeon and Bora are out of their minds already.”

“Hey!” Bora protests, shoving Handong’s shoulders. “I’m completely fine!”

“Don’t hurt my baby!” Yoohyeon complains, and this time it’s Bora who receives a shove. Siyeon shakes her head at the ridiculous scene.

“They seem... pretty nice,” Minji comments, amused by their antics. 

“Trust me, they’re not,” Siyeon groans. Handong comforts her friend with a pat on her back.

“We’ll be waiting outside.” Handong gives Siyeon a gentle smile and high fives Minji before she leaves, dragging Bora and Yoohyeon — _who are still fighting_ — with her. Gahyeon and Yubin wave to the bartender before they follow the rest of their friends.

Minji chuckles at the scene before turning her attention to Siyeon again. “I’m guessing the tiny one is your sister?”

Siyeon nods, watching Gahyeon open the door for Yubin. “She’s cute, isn’t she?”

Minji hums, “Just like you.”

Siyeon nearly loses her balance with how fast she turns around to face Minji. _There it is_ , Siyeon thinks, _the smirk that drives me crazy_. “Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?” Minji bats her eyes innocently. Siyeon cries on the inside.

“You know,” Siyeon whines, dragging a hand across her face in utter despair. “Flirting.”

Minji raises one eyebrow, her smirk becoming even more smug. “You make it hard not to.”

Minji’s words send chills down her spine, making Siyeon wonder how her legs are still standing after having her emotions played for an entire night. _This woman is going to be the death of me_ , she screams inside of her head, but on the outside she manages to not make a fool of herself and offers Minji a roll of her eyes. “Shut up.”

Minji pretends to zip her mouth and throw away the key. Siyeon rolls her eyes again, but this time there’s a fond smile on her lips. 

“I have to go now,” Siyeon announces, and she swears she sees a flash of disappointment on Minji’s eyes. She takes the woman’s hands in hers for one last time that day. “See you another day?”

Minji nods slowly, caressing Siyeon’s hands with the tip of her fingers. “Text me when you get home.”

“Yes, captain,” Siyeon jokes and Minji sticks her tongue out at her. 

A comfortable silence falls between them as the two of them stand there, playing with each other’s hands, unwilling to let the other go. It’s Siyeon who, completely against her will, breaks the contact first.

It’s becoming harder and harder to say goodbye to Minji. Maybe, Siyeon realizes, it’s because she’s scared to lose her again.

Minji notices Siyeon is stuck in a dilemma and tilts her head towards the exit with an affectionate smile. “Go.”

Siyeon inhales and nods, waving to the woman as she makes a painfully reluctant walk to the door. 

She starts missing Minji, her blinding smile and her flirty remarks the exact moment she steps foot outside the bar.

—

“Can you drive faster?” Gahyeon complains from the passenger sit. “I can’t stand Bora and Yoohyeon screaming anymore.”

Yubin scoffs from behind, her face smashed against the window as she tries her best to stay away from her drunk friends. “At least you’re not being squeezed to death.”

“I’m the one being squeezed to death here,” Bora protests, slapping Yoohyeon’s hands away from her face. “Literally.”

“You’re so cute, Bora!” Yoohyeon squeals, and Siyeon can’t tell if she’s being honest or if she’s messing with her older friend. Gahyeon groans and blocks her ears with her fingers. “Did you know that?”

“You said you wanted to kill me literally two minutes ago!” Bora shouts at her. Siyeon wonders how Handong hasn’t gone insane sitting in the middle of the two.

“I want to kill you because you’re too cute,” Yoohyeon pouts, then her expression turns drastically dark. “But also because you hurt Dongie earlier. Don’t you dare hurting her again!”

“Baby, I already said she didn’t hurt me,” Handong tries, but Yoohyeon promptly ignores her, too focused on her _‘trying to choke Bora to death_ ’ mission.

“I’m the one who’s killing the two of you if you don’t shut the fuck up!” Gahyeon exclaims, turning around on her sit to give them a threatening look. Surprisingly, it works.

Siyeon can’t help but to chuckle. She doesn’t know how her little sister, the youngest out of the six, has so many power over them. But hey, at least she knows how to put all of her power to good use, Siyeon tells herself as she stares at her friends’ ridiculous sulky expressions through the rearview mirror. 

Most of the time, at least.

  
  
  


**siyeon**

_just got home_

**minji**

_good :)_

_sweet dreams singnie_

**siyeon**

_sweet dreams minji :)_

—

The week passed by without any special events.

It was all the same — Yoohyeon and Bora fighting, Handong stopping them, Gahyeon and Yubin thinking they’re being slick and the first two hugging ten minutes after threatening each other’s lives. 

One thing changed for Siyeon, though — she spends way too much time looking at her phone, trying to hide how giddy she gets everytime she sees Minji’s name popping in her notifications. 

“You should invite her,” Bora whispers to Siyeon in the middle of class, making the woman jump on her sit and let her phone slip straight into the table. Both of them wince at the sound, sinking into their chairs to avoid their classmates’ judging gazes. “You know, to our next _‘Saturday stuck in Siyeon’s apartment like losers’_ thing.”

“Hey!” Siyeon exclaims, clearly offended. She can already feel her classmates’ eyes burning holes at the back of her head. “I never asked for any of you to come. I can spend my _‘Saturdays stuck in my apartment like a loser’_ alone, thank you very much.”

“Whatever,” Bora rolls her eyes. “Invite Minji. It will be nice.”

Siyeon scoffs. “Nice for who? I just know you, Yoohyeon and Gahyeon are going to team up to embarrass me in front of her.”

There’s a small pause after that, and Siyeon feels like throwing herself out of the window when a devilish grin takes over Bora’s lips. “And why do you care? Isn’t she just a friend like the rest of us?”

“S-She is! But—” Siyeon wobbles her hands in the air, desperate to find a way to put an end to this conversation smoothly. “But—“

“But?” Bora raises an eyebrow, having way too much fun with the sight of a flustered Siyeon. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Siyeon mutters under her breath, burying her face on her hands in embarrassment. “It’s different. She’s—“

Siyeon groans, and this time she lets her face fall flat over the table. Bora remains unaffected by the scene. “Take as much time as you need.”

“She was my first love, Bora!” Siyeon finally confesses, and as much as it makes her feel free, it also makes her heart clench. “That’s why it’s different.”

“I knew it.” 

Siyeon lifts her face and stares up at her friend with a frown. “How? I never told anyone about this. Not even Gahyeon knows.”

Bora sighs, reaching out to caress Siyeon’s blue hair. “I knew it when you told us about your story with her that day.”

Siyeon winces, closing her eyes. “Was I really that obvious?”

Bora giggles. “I don’t think the others noticed, but I did. Your eyes were shining, and trust me, it wasn’t only because of the tears.”

Siyeon winces again, dragging her hands through her face. “Alright, you got me.”

“But the real question is,” Bora starts carefully, as if she was talking to a child. Siyeon wonders why she didn’t jump from the window earlier. “Do you like her now?”

The world stops turning for a second. 

Siyeon knew it was about to come, but the question still hits her heart like bomb.

She lets out a shaky breath when she meets Bora’s expectant gaze. “Can I be honest?”

Bora nods.

“I don’t know.”

Her friend flashes her an understanding smile. “It’s okay not to know. Just no more pretending you’re made of stone, okay?”

Siyeon’s lips curl up in a small smile, eyes drifting to her hands in an attempt to mask how uneasy she feels. “Okay.”

“So, the invitation?” Bora holds both of her hands under her chin, batting her eyes innocently.

“ _Fine_ ,” Siyeon gives up, narrowing her eyes and pointing a threatening finger to Bora’s face. “But if any of you dare to try something funny in front of Minji there will be drastic consequences.”

—

“... And then Siyeon showed up to class in a ripped shirt, unbuttoned jeans and two different sneakers. All of our classmates _and_ the teacher laughed at her. I have a picture, do you want to—“

“Enough!” Siyeon grits her teeth, slapping Bora’s phone away from her hands. “I told you to delete that!”

“But now I’m curious,” Minji pouts. “Let me see it.”

“No!” Siyeon exclaims, mortified. “There’s no way I’m letting you see that… _thing_.”

“I want to see it,” Minji whines as she wraps her hands around Siyeon’s arm, shaking it like a spoiled child. “Please, Singnie?”

Siyeon’s heart skips a beat at the use of the nickname she adores. Then it skips another one when Minji stares at her with the cutest version of _puppy eyes_ she had ever seen. 

_This woman knows how to get what she wants_ , Siyeon thinks, and her shoulders drop in defeat.

“Fine,” She sighs, and Minji squeals happily. “But don’t laugh.”

Minji nods, but Siyeon knows there’s no truth to it. She immediately starts regretting all of her life decisions.

Bora shows Minji the picture, and Siyeon can see she’s trying her best to hold it back, but she ends up bursting into laughter just a few seconds later.

“I’m sorry, but,” Minji pauses to regain her breath and dry her eyes. Siyeon finds herself torn between murdering Bora and admiring the woman’s laugh. The second one wins. “This is too much for me. I can’t believe you actually went to class like that.”

“Desperate times call for desperate matters,” Siyeon stands up for herself. “I really couldn’t miss that exam.”

That makes Minji explode into laughter again, and before Siyeon could register, she was laughing along Minji and the rest of her friends. 

She leans her back against the couch, crossing her arms as she watches the mess in her living room with a fond smile on her face. Minji meets her gaze while she’s at it, and it’s like an entire garden filled with the prettiest flowers in the world blooms inside of Siyeon’s heart.

Minji is part of her past, but she fits so well with her present that it’s almost like she had always been there with them — like those ten years never existed, like she never left Siyeon’s side.

Minji blends with the pillows scattered on the floor, the screams, the teasing and the laughter, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Siyeon feels content.

And yet, there’s still this little, provoking voice at the back of her head telling her that something is missing — that there’s something she craves from the bottom of her heart that she doesn’t own, and doesn’t know if she ever will.

_No more pretending you’re made of stone, okay?_

Minji’s eyes find hers again as she remembers the words Bora told her the day before. Minji flashes her a smile, one of those magnetic ones that make her eyes disappear in the most endearing way possible, and Siyeon smiles back.

_No more pretending._

She opens her arms and lets herself fall. _Again_.

  
  
  


Eventually, after hours of talking about everything and anything — _and revealing at least two other embarrassing stories about Siyeon_ — the seven of them start doing their own things. 

Yoohyeon is taking a nap with her head on Handong’s shoulder, Gahyeon is sitting on Yubin’s lap while they scroll through youtube, Bora is taking her mother’s call in one of the bedrooms and Minji is lying over the pillows on the floor, completely distracted by the calming tune coming out of the speakers.

And Siyeon is, _well_ , distracted by Minji.

Siyeon watches as Minji turns around to grab her phone, and an idea crosses her mind.

**siyeon**

_want to go to the balcony?_

Minji looks up and raises a suspicious eyebrow at Siyeon. The younger one shrugs, shivering when Minji bites her lips to hold back a laugh.

**minji**

lead the way ;)

  
  
  


“Your apartment is really nice,” Minji comments, purple hair flying in the chilly wind as she stares down at the mesmerizing city lights. “I love the view from up here.”

Siyeon leans her back against the railing, arms crossed over her chest and a soft smile creeping on her lips. “It’s not much.”

“Please,” Minji scoffs. “Your living room can fit my entire apartment.”

Siyeon can only laugh, shaking her head at the woman’s exaggeration. Then she turns her head to Minji, who’s still immersed in the view, looking like a child seeing fireworks for the first time. _Cute_ , Siyeon thinks, heart skipping a beat.

“You can come over whenever you like,” Siyeon starts, fidgeting with her fingers, “They seem to really like you.”

Minji’s about to answer, but then she makes an abrupt pause, a smirk slowly painting her delicate features. “Don’t you?”

Siyeon gulps. “What?”

“Like me,” Minji comes closer, grabbing both of Siyeon’s hands and swinging them back and forth. “Don’t you like me too?”

Siyeon feels dizzy — not only at the words, at the tone the woman uses, but at the proximity between them. Minji’s touch on her hands feels hotter than it should, almost as if it’s burning her skin, but Siyeon finds out she doesn’t mind one bit.

“O-Of course I do,” Siyeon manages to blurt out after a few seconds of complete silence, mentally cursing herself for stuttering. _Way to go, Siyeon_.

Minji laughs, and by the way her eyes are shining with mischief Siyeon can tell she’s holding back the urge to make fun of her. But, instead of teasing her, Minji steps even closer, letting Siyeon’s hand go to wrap her arms around her torso. Siyeon naturally rests her head over Minji’s shoulder, getting lost in her natural, calming scent.

“Good,” Minji says, and even though Siyeon can’t see, she can tell the woman is smiling widely. “I like you too.”

Siyeon melts at Minji’s little confession, heart jumping at the awakening of a thousand of butterflies inside of her stomach — she just can’t help it, even though she’s aware that Minji’s _I like you too_ doesn’t hold the meaning she craves for.

But it doesn’t matter — at least not now, when they’re pressed against each other and Minji’s fingers are lost in her blue strands, keeping her warmer than the sun ever could. 

Siyeon feels safe, protected, _loved_. So she falls even more. 

It’s okay as long as Minji is there to catch her.

—

Siyeon can’t bring herself to stop thinking about Minji the next day.

All of her friends notice something is off — Siyeon is never this quiet when they’re playing _monopoly_ , especially when Yoohyeon is around, but she just shrugs it off and says she’s worried about an upcoming exam.

Which is kind of dumb, she realizes as soon as it comes out of her mouth, because Bora takes the same classes as her and she knows damn well there isn’t a single exam coming up. So, as soon as the game ends, Bora follows her into the kitchen and leans against the fridge with a suspicious look on her face.

“It’s about her, isn’t it?”

Siyeon winces.

“To be honest, it is,” She sighs, perching herself on the counter. “But it’s not like something bad happened, it’s just— I can’t stop thinking about her. And missing her.”

“You saw her yesterday, though?” Bora giggles, clearly amused.

“I know, but,” Siyeon frowns as she looks down at her hands, trying to think of an way to verbalize what she’s feeling. “Something changed last night. You know, after the whole _no more pretending_ thing.”

Bora’s entire face light up. “Really? What did?”

“I realized… _stuff_ ,” Siyeon squirms, playing with her fingers, “More like _accepted stuff_. And while it feels amazing when she’s next to me, it kind of haunts me when she’s not. Does it make any sense? It’s like—”

“You’re about to lose her again?” Bora offers Siyeon an understanding smile.

Siyeon feels her heart clench, voice wavering as she answers, “Yeah. Exactly. It’s stupid.”

“No, it isn’t” Bora moves to the counter and jumps to take a sit beside Siyeon. “You’ve been through a lot. Minji’s been through a lot. It’s only normal for your brain to be a little confused,”

Siyeon can only stare expectantly at Bora, sensing she still has more to say.

“But I don’t think your heart is.”

_Damn_ , Siyeon thinks, chewing on her lower lip. Bora reads her like an open book.

“You know what you want, don’t you?”

Siyeon leans her head on Bora’s shoulder, and her friend slides an arm around her waist. The younger girl nods in lieu of an answer.

“Then go for it.”

“It’s easier said than done.”

“But you _like_ her,” Bora retorts, making Siyeon blush, “And you don’t want her to ever leave again, so make her stay.”

_Make her stay. Make her stay. Make her stay._ The phrase keeps replaying on her head, becoming louder and clearer with each passing second.

Siyeon is about to thank Bora for listening to her bullshit when Yoohyeon bursts into the kitchen, a frown taking over her features as she takes in the image of her friends hugging each other.

“It’s _cuddle time_ and you guys didn’t invite me?”

“Shut up,” Bora rolls her eyes, but she spreads her arms open to let Yoohyeon join them.

While Yoohyeon is busy squeezing herself in between them, Bora taps Siyeon’s arms and mouths a _think about it_ before she pats Yoohyeon’s back and jumps from the counter, dragging her back to the living room where the rest of their friends are watching a movie.

“ _I will,_ ” Siyeon whispers to herself, sighing tiredly before getting up and following the pair.

—

Siyeon thinks about it.

She thinks about it so hard that it’s two in the morning and she’s still up, her growing feelings for Minji — _that seem to consume her the more she thinks about them_ — not letting her get one second of sleep that night.

Rain starts pouring outside, and the sound of rain drops crashing against the window start filling her dark, quiet bedroom. With that, Siyeon finally gives up on sleeping. 

She drags her tired legs out of the bed and takes a sit on the sill, drawing patterns on the window frame with the tip of her fingers. She remembers Minji telling her that she would be covering for a friend at the bar today, and the thought of the woman going back home alone in that weather makes her chew on her lips in worry. 

_Make her stay_ , Bora’s voice echoes in her mind.

Siyeon streches her arm and grabs her phone from the nightstand, searching for Minji’s contact as soon as she unlocks the device. She takes a shaky, deep breath before she presses the call button, clutching her phone for dear life as she silently begs for Minji to pick up.

“Hello?” Minji’s sweet voice works on her nerves like a medicine, dragging a relieved sigh out of her lips. “Siyeon? Is everything okay? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I’m fine,” Siyeon melts at Minji’s apprehension, grip on her phone becoming lighter. “I just wanted to know how you’re doing. It’s raining quite a lot.”

“Oh,” Minji giggles, clearly embarrassed. Siyeon hears the sound of keys, then of a door closing, and Minji mutters something under her breath that she’s unable to catch. The woman forces out an awkward laugh after the incident, which has Siyeon raising a suspicious eyebrow. “It’s cool. Everything’s cool.”

“Minji?” Siyeon pushes, trying her best to sound intimidating. “Don’t lie to me.”

  
  


“Fine,” The woman huffs, sounding all but defeated, “I might have forgotten my umbrella at home.”

“Wait for me.”

“What?”

“Wait for me,” Siyeon repeats, balancing her phone between her shoulder and ear as she moves to her wardrobe to grab a jacket for her and a hoodie for Minji. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“No, Siyeon, it’s too late—”

“I’m already locking the doors,” Siyeon sings, sliding her feet in the first pair of sneakers she could find. 

“But you have class tomorrow,” Minji whines. “Today, actually.”

Siyeon hums, grabbing her keys and documents from the coffee table before she’s out the door, “I do, but I can always skip.”

“But—”

“No more buts, Kim Minji” Siyeon cuts her. “I’m on my way.”

Minji goes silent for a while, only to let out a defeated groan a few seconds later. Siyeon fights back a laugh. “Fine.”

“See you soon, Minji!” Siyeon teases in a childish voice, and although she can’t see, she knows the older one is rolling her eyes at her silliness. 

“Alright,” Minji yawns. Siyeon nearly cries from how cute she sounds. “Drive safely.”

“I will,” She assures the woman, a dopey smile blooming on her face as she enters the elevator and finally ends the call. 

She rests her back against the metallic wall and clutches the warm hoodie to her chest, eyes fluttering closed while she takes in its calming lavender smell. The thought of the older one wearing her favorite piece of clothing makes her giggle like a lovesick teenager, covering her mouth with the palm of her hands even though there’s no one around to judge her. 

She can’t wait to see Minji.

  
  
  


It’s pouring even harder by the time Siyeon parks in front of the bar. 

She flinches as she takes a peek outside the window, closing it as soon as a lightning flashes across the sky, its light powerful enough to illuminate the entire poorly lit street for an instant. She grabs the umbrella laying on the passenger sit and finally leaves the car, rushing inside the nearly empty bar with the object under her arms.

She finds Minji waiting for her in one of the tables, mindlessly bobbing her head to whatever music she’s blasting on her earphones, and the sight is enough to make Siyeon’s heart grow ten sizes bigger.

Siyeon comes from behind and removes one of Minji’s earbuds, placing the pink object into her own ear. “What are you listening to?”

Minji’s round glasses nearly slip from her face at the sudden intrusion, shoving Siyeon’s arms before she places her hand over her chest, glaring at the younger girl at the same time she struggles to control her breath. “You almost killed me!”

Siyeon bursts into laughter, not taking the way Minji shakes her head in disapproval to heart because the twinkle in her eyes are telling a whole other story. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Minji huffs, unlocking her phone and lifting it in Siyeon’s direction. _Would You Be So Kind by Dodie_ , says the white letters shining on the screen. “It’s one of my favorite songs.”

Siyeon nods, swaying her feet to the rythm. “It suits you.”

“Really?” Minji widens her eyes, but there’s a hint of amusement coloring her tone. “Why?”

_Because it’s sweet like your voice, and contagious like your smile._ “I don’t know,” Siyeon giggles, scratching the back of her neck. “It sounds like something you would be into.”

Minji raises a dubious eyebrow. “You can just say it’s because I’m the cutest person you’ve ever seen.”

Siyeon snorts, trying to hide how flustered she is by returning the earbud and turning to the opposite side of the bar, pointing to the wooden door. “I guess it’s time for us to go.”

“Okay,” Minji giggles behind her fist, rushing to catch up with Siyeon and intertwine their arms together. “No need to run away from me.”

The younger one scoffs, still not looking Minji in the face. “I wasn’t running away from you.”

“You totally were,” Minji bumps their shoulders. It’s Siyeon’s turn to glare.

They only break the contact between their arms to be able to pass through the door, crossing them one more time after Siyeon opens the umbrella, their bodies squeezed under the object to make sure not a single drop of water gets into their faces.

They count to three and dart towards Siyeon’s car as if they were two teenagers sneaking out in the rain after their parents told them not to, the loud sound of their laughs echoing through the deserted street being more than enough to fill their hearts with warmth, even in the middle of such a cold weather.

Siyeon leads Minji to the passenger sit before she walks to the other side and all but jumps inside of her car, closing the umbrella and placing it on the backseat. She’s about to ask for Minji’s address when a way more interesting thought crosses her mind, making her wrap her fingers on the steering wheel in anticipation. 

“What if we get something to eat at _McDonald’s_?” She offers, beaming excitedly.

“McDonald’s at, like,” Minji lifts her arm to check the time on the clock around her wrist. “Three in the morning? It doesn’t sound very… healthy.”

“Oh, come on!” Siyeon whines, pouting as she lays her head over her hands, “Please?”

Minji narrows her eyes, but her gaze softens once she realizes Siyeon is too stubborn to give up. “Fine. But you’re the one who’s paying.”

“That’s fair,” Siyeon nods, turning on the car and finally taking off to their destination.

“Can I put on some music?” Minji asks, already grabbing her phone from the pocket of her jeans. Siyeon flashes her a gentle smile and tells her to go on, successfully connecting the device to the speakers.

This time the woman chooses _The Writer by Ellie Goulding,_ another song that sounds just as delicate as Minji looks. It takes all of Siyeon’s willpower not to stop the car in the middle of the road only to admire Minji’s sweet voice as she sings to the lyrics with her eyes closed, fixing her glasses from time to time as she holds her phone as if it was a microphone.

Siyeon only catches a glimpse of the private concert when they stop at a red light, leaning her head against the glass as she appreciates the view of a carefree Minji, wishing she could keep her like this — _happy, radiant, beside her_ — forever.

It reminds her of when they were younger and Minji would show up with her pink _iPod_ in hand, urging Siyeon to listen to all of her favorite songs and share her thoughts on each one of them. Nostalgia spreads through every single inch of her body as she thinks of the two of them lying on the grass under the bright stars, their school uniforms becoming all messy and dirty, but they couldn’t care less — nothing in the world mattered when they were together, too ecstatic inside of the little, magical universe they created.

Siyeon only notices she’s been staring for the longest time when the driver from behind horns, snapping her out of her thoughts and forcing her to focus on the road again.

“What should I play next?” Minji sing-songs to herself, eyes fixated on the screen. “Oh! Do you remember this one?”

Siyeon waits for the song to begin, bursting into laughter when the first notes start filling the car. “It’s kind of impossible to forget.”

“God, I was so annoying,” Minji groans, but a laugh slips through her lips. “How many times I used to play this song a day?”

“About thirty times?” Siyeon ponders as _I Am Not A Robot by Marina_ reaches its chorus, “You know, when I was trying to forget everything about Daegu, this song kept haunting me in my sleep.”

Minji’s chuckles and little yelps end up becoming louder than the music, and Siyeon’s heart swells with nothing but fondness for the woman sitting beside her.

“Remember when I made you memorize the lyrics so you could sing it with me?” Minji asks through tears, holding her stomach from how hard she was laughing. “You always went on with my ridiculous ideas, it made me feel very loved.”

Siyeon’s heart is beating so loud against her ribcage that it almost hurts, but it feels oddly good at the same time. “I’m glad,” She says, voice filled with sincerity, “That was my goal.”

Minji’s eyes sparkle with something Siyeon can’t identify, but it doesn’t help her heart slow down — if anything, it only makes it beat harder, faster, making her wonder if it’s loud enough for Minji to hear it.

The purple haired woman places a gentle hand over the one Siyeon’s not using, giving it a light squeeze and hesitating for a moment before she pulls it back, opting for staring at the moon shining outside the window instead. “You did a great job at it.”

Siyeon shifts her gaze from the road to Minji’s face for a split second, which was enough for her to notice how red the tip of her ears are and how hard she’s trying not to smile, leaning her head against the window to cover her face. Siyeon decides right there and then that there isn’t a single human in the world who’s as loveable as Kim Minji.

They arrive at McDonald’s as soon as the song comes to an end. Siyeon wastes no time before she’s moving to the _drive-thru_ , taking hers and Minji’s order — a _Double 1995 Burger_ which totally has Siyeon gasping at its size — before she stops the car at the parking lot, resting her back on the door as she lazily unwraps her burger. 

Siyeon raises a questioning eyebrow, “Are you sure you can eat all of this?”

“ _Huh_ ,” Minji tosses her purple hair over her shoulder, takes a huge bite of her burger, “I could have two of these.”

“Wow,” Siyeon blinks. “You’re an inspiration.”

Minji giggles, nudging Siyeon’s leg with her foot. “I know.”

They eat in silence after that, stealing timid glances at each other from time to time. By the time they’re done, the corners of Siyeon’s mouth are covered with bread crumbs and a trace of sauce, making her look like a clumsy five year old. Minji chuckles quietly, grabbing one of her napkins before she’s leaning closer, hand resting softly under Siyeon’s jaw as she wipes the dirt from her face.

From head to toe, every inch of Siyeon’s body react to the touch. She becomes dizzy and her breath gets stuck in her throat when Minji’s fingers brush on her skin, gaze shifting non-stop from Minji’s eyes to her lips, utterly against her will, as if they had lost their way in the universe that exists inside of Minji’s dark orbs. 

“There you go,” Minji mutters under her breath, and for a moment Siyeon isn’t sure if the woman really caressed her cheek or if her hazy mind is only imagining things. 

Siyeon only comes down from her high when Minji slides back into her sit with an awkward cough, watching attentively as the woman grabs her phone and plays another song to fill in the unbearable silence that falls between the two of them.

Minji shivers as she averts her gaze from Siyeon to the nearly empty parking lot, wrapping her arms around her torso just like the day they first met outside of the bar. Siyeon mentally curses herself because, _of course_ , her feelings distracted her to the point where she almost forgot why she brought her favorite hoodie to this _late night meeting_ in the first place.

Siyeon clears her throat, “Wear this,” grabs the piece of clothing and hands it over to Minji, failing to ignore how lightheaded she gets when their fingers brush, “It will keep you warm.”

Minji opens her mouth, then it falls shut as a smirk starts taking its shape, “Are you going to give me your entire closet?”

Siyeon is taken aback for a second, but her expression soon shifts to a playful one, “I promise I’m not giving this one to you. It’s my favorite hoodie.”

Minji nods, the smirk never leaving her lips as she plays with its strings, “And you’re letting me wear it? You must like me a lot, huh?”

Siyeon scoffs, wishing that the blush that is starting to creep up her neck would disappear. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Minji giggles, allowing the black strings to slip from her fingers as she shifts her focus to Siyeon instead. She licks her lips, hesitating for a split second before she finally blurts out what’s been running on her mind, “You never told me how you ended up… _here_. In Seoul.”

A hint of pain flashes through Siyeon’s eyes as she taps her fingers on the steering wheel, taking a deep breath as she tries her best to gather her thoughts. She turns her head to the side and sees Minji sitting there, _beautiful_ , _ethereal_ , patiently waiting to listen to her story, and before she can register, the words are already flowing out of her mouth.

“I always spent my summers here, with my mother and Gahyeon, even though my dad hated it,” Siyeon scoffs at the bitter memory, “And no matter how hard I tried to hide it, my mom eventually catched up on how unhappy I was. She sat me down, gave me a cup of tea and asked me if I was fine. I don’t think i’ve ever cried like I did that day,” An acid laugh comes out, “Then I finally moved in with my mother. It was a weird time, my dad went crazy for a while and I didn’t know how to deal with Gahyeon very well because of our age gap, but one day that _tiny devil_ climbed on my bed and told me how glad she was that I was living with them and I realized everything would be okay, somehow.”

Minji has this smile on her face that makes Siyeon want to do nothing but jump on her lap, wrap her arms around her neck and never let her go, but she buries her urges down and waits for the woman to speak up.

“I’m really proud of you,” Her eyes sparkle, and Siyeon melts, “I know it’s stupid because it’s been years since the whole thing, but I’m really, _really_ proud of you, Singnie.”

Siyeon almost brushes it off, she _nearly_ does, but she meets Minji’s sincere gaze and settles for a quiet, yet filled with emotion, “Thanks.”

Minji grins, playing with the tip of her colorful hair, “Is there anything else you want to know? About me?”

There is, in fact, a world of things Siyeon wants to know about Minji, but there is one that keeps bugging her everytime she calls for the older one. She pauses, chews on her lower lip, and then asks, “Why did you change your name?”

Minji seemed to be waiting for that exact question, the tender smile never falling from her face when she answers, “I wanted to start fresh. I changed my name, dyed my hair, got a tattoo,” She giggles, “After that I felt confident enough to embrace my new life.”

Siyeon nods, taking all the new information in. She tries to ignore to ask, but something just stands out in Minji’s speech, “You have a tattoo? Where?”

A smug smile creeps its way to her lips. “I can’t show you.”

Siyeon’s face set ablaze. Minji explodes in laughter.

“W-What?” She huffs, “Stop laughing!”

Minji only laughs harder, to the point where she’s in the brink of tears. “I’m sorry, but you should’ve seen your face!” 

“Yeah, yeah, very funny,” Siyeon rolls her eyes, scratching the back of her neck. “It’s getting late, we should go.”

“Now that things are getting fun?” Minji pouts, eyes sparkling with mischief. Siyeon gulps.

“Yes,” Siyeon grabs her keys and turns the car on, looking away from the puppy eyes Minji is giving her and focusing on driving them safely out of that parking lot. “Right now.”

Minji grunts, picks another song from her playlist, and they leave.

  
  
  


“Thanks for picking me up,” Minji starts, removing the safety belt as Siyeon’s car makes a stop in front of her building. “And for the food.”

Siyeon giggles, shaking her head, “It was fun.”

_Buzzcut Season_ comes to an end, Minji pauses her playlist, but remains in the same place. Siyeon doesn’t mind one bit, sinking on her sit as she watches the lights from the street lamps dance on Minji’s face — it’s not like she wants the woman to go, anyway.

Minji squirms, pushes her round glasses up, and just when Siyeon was about to turn around to ask her what’s wrong, she leans in and the peck that was supposed to lay on Siyeon’s cheek falls on the very corner of her mouth.

It’s a mess, really. Siyeon feels like she’s about to suffocate from all the butterflies occupying her stomach and flying their way up to her throat, and she doesn’t even know how she managed to catch Minji’s glasses when they slipped from her face, but when she looks up again they’re still close, so _wrenchingly_ close that she can feel Minji’s breath blowing like the spring breeze against her buzzing skin.

There is no ground. There are no wings. _Siyeon falls, and falls, and falls._

“I— Thanks again, for today,” Minji breathes out, fingers wrapping around cold wrists before she takes her glasses back, eyes locked on Siyeon’s lips while she mindlessly bites her own, “Good night.”

Siyeon is so stunned that she only registers Minji’s words — _and all the things that happened in such a small amount of time_ — when she hears the sound of the door closing, Minji’s figure disappearing into the building.

She lets out the breath she didn’t even know she was holding, runs her fingers through her hair and falls flat on her sit. The ghost of Minji’s lips still burn the skin next to her mouth, as a reminder that yes, that night, _that moment_ , really happened.

Siyeon brushes her fingers over the place Minji kissed her and her eyes flutter closed, wondering what could’ve happened if only she had turned around a little bit faster.

_It’s getting late, Siyeon_ , she tells herself in an attempt to move, get her shit together instead of lying on her car and daydreaming about Minji’s kiss in front of her building. 

Siyeon shakes her head, tries to fix her messy hair in the rear-view mirror, glances at the entrance one more time before she finally leaves. 

—

**minji**

_i forgot to give you the hoodie back :(_

**siyeon**

_;)_

**minji**

_…_

_you didn’t say anything on purpose, right_

**siyeon**

_oops_

**minji**

_siyeon pls_

**siyeon**

_just bring it to my apartment later_

**minji**

_you can just say you want to see me again_

**siyeon**

_go to sleep_

_see you in, say, 10 hours?_

**minji**

_… fine lmao_

  
  
  


**siyeon**

_BORA YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED_

**tiny devil**

_siyeon, it’s 4am_

**siyeon**

_shit sorry_

_*whispers* bora you won’t believe what happened_

—

Siyeon was about to finish watching the third episode of _Hotel del Luna_ when the doorbell rings.

She rushes to put on her slippers and runs to the door, fixing her hair before she finally pushes it open, being greeted by the view of Minji looking _insanely adorable_ in a striped sweater and overalls, the same transparent glasses from yesterday resting over her nose.

“Here it is,” Minji streches her arms after Siyeon moves to the side to let her in, a perfectly folded black hoodie in her hands. “The excuse you used to see me again.”

Siyeon scoffs as she takes the clothing from Minji’s hold, but her eyes are crinkling when she says, “Thanks.”

Minji shrugs and gives Siyeon’s shoulder a light pat before she turns her attention to the drama paused on the huge television, eyes widening in surprise once she recognizes the scene. “You’re watching _Hotel del Luna?_ I love this drama!”

To be honest, Siyeon had decided she was going to look for something else to watch once the third episode came to an end, but Minji’s eyes were sparkling with excitement and there was no way she was going to do anything that could possibly wipe that look from her face — she was going to sit and watch the fourth, the fifth, _hell_ , the entire thing if that’s what Minji wanted.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Siyeon was so involved in the story and Minji’s shoulders were so warm that she didn’t even notice it was already dark outside, nor did she notice she started pinching Minji’s hands somewhere between the sixth and seventh episode, only coming to her senses when the older woman started doing the same thing with hers. She dared to shift her eyes from the screen to Minji’s face for a moment, and _oh_ , what a huge mistake that was. Her mind became clouded by the events from early morning, when they were on her car and their faces were close to the point where a single movement could change everything between them.

She turns her gaze to Minji’s lips, and she cries on the inside because they’re right there, in front of her, _pink, glossy, slightly parted_ , but she can’t lean in and take them, taste them like she’s been dying to do for the longest time. It’s almost as if the world was making fun of her, delighted to see her trapped inside of an tiring, agonizing inner battle. 

Then Minji turns around, the work on Siyeon’s hands coming to a abrupt stop when she notices where the younger’s eyes are laid on. Minji’s breath hitches, but Siyeon doesn’t budge. She remains on the same place, vulnerable under Minji’s gaze, waiting for her to make a choice.

The question sparkling on Siyeon’s eyes is clear — _will you catch me, or will you let me fall?_

Minji is conflicted — her eyes keep darting from Siyeon’s lips to her eyes, her hands keep closing and opening, and for a second she _almost_ gives in, it’s _almost_ there, but ice takes over her body and her eyes fall shut, brows furrowing as she shakes her head, pulling herself away from the other woman. 

“I have to go.”

_Siyeon gets her answer._

A mix of despair and fear takes over Siyeon’s body as she watches Minji grab her belongings and leave, staring at the closed door as if it took every single trace of happiness away from her. A wave of regret washes over her when she realizes that, _yes_ , she was about to lose Minji again, and it was all her fault.

She buries her face on her palms and grunts, screams as guilt eats her alive. Maybe it was better to hide, to ignore, to fall without anyone knowing and let herself crash against the harsh floor in secret. But now Minji knew, and she was flying far away from her one more time.

It was too much for Siyeon to handle, and the tears were about to erupt when the sound of the doorbell makes her bite her lips, swallowing her pain as she makes her way to the door. _Minji probably forgot something, and she wants it back before she—_

Her mind goes numb when Minji jumps on her arms, grabs the nape of her neck and kisses her. 

Reality hits her when Minji’s hands travel down to her waist, giving it a firm squeeze that pushes a groan out of her throat. Siyeon feels so dizzy that she has to wrap her arms around Minji’s neck, afraid that she might end up collapsing from the way the older’s lips move against hers — and because the moment feels like a dream, an illusion, and she doesn’t want Minji to walk away. 

Minji closes the door with her foot, rushing Siyeon inside and pressing her back against the cold wall, deepening the kiss with each and every sound that slips out of Siyeon’s mouth. They only part when their lungs are burning for air, and Siyeon knows they have to stop and talk this whole thing out, but she’s still breathless when she asks:

“Stay with me tonight?”

Minji beams, “I was waiting for you to ask.”

_Siyeon gets her answer. The real one, this time._

—

“You guys fucking _kissed_?” Yoohyeon gasps loudly, covering her mouth when people from other tables give her nasty looks.

Siyeon is about to answer when Bora cuts her, “You _only_ kissed? This is so boring,” she snorts, takes a sip from her cappuccino, “When you said she slept at your place I thought, _okay_ , something interesting happened, but no.”

Siyeon rolls her eyes and shoves her friend, “Not everyone is a horny mess like you.”

Bora wants to disagree, but the words die on her tongue. “Whatever.”

“That explains a lot,” Handong, who remained silent through all of Siyeon’s monologue, starts, “After class I asked Minji, _hey, isn’t this Siyeon’s shirt_ , and she only smiled at me and left.”

Siyeon grins. “She looks cute with that shirt, doesn’t she?”

“Oh my god,” Yubin deadpans, “You’ve got it bad.

Siyeon almost tells her she has no right to judge her when she’s wrapped around Gahyeon’s finger, but she bites her tongue when she remembers their _not-so-secret_ romance is something they haven’t discussed yet. “Maybe I do. By the way, why aren’t you guys shocked? I just told you I like Minji.”

Handong rests a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Because it was obvious.”

Siyeon pouts, unable to deny what Handong just said. “Fine, maybe I was a little obvious.”

Bora puffs, “A little? Are you sure?”

Siyeon flashes Bora a glare, kicking her leg under the table. Handong remains unamused, and continues, “It wasn’t just you. If it makes you feel any better, Minji was being pretty transparent about it too.”

Gahyeon leans on the table and rests her chin on the top of her hands, “Spill.”

“Her eyes sparkled whenever she talked about Siyeon,” Handong starts, drumming her fingers on the table, “which was a _lot_ , by the way. But when she told me about when you guys almost kissed I was one hundred percent sure. She was literally going insane.”

“Oh, Siyeon was too,” Bora smiles devilishly, “She woke me up at four in the morning to scream about it, imagine how tired I was.”

Bora earns another kick for that, a stronger one this time. “What do you gain from exposing me like this?”

Bora fights back, foot smashing against the younger’s ankle. Siyeon groans, biting her nail. “Immense satisfaction.” 

Siyeon doesn’t know how Bora can go from being the person who gives her the best advice to the one who torments her life for fun, but it happens. _Often_. Siyeon is aware of the fact that she should be used to Bora’s antics by now.

“By the way,” Gahyeon cuts in before they can bicker even more, “Isn’t the mini concert this weekend?”

Bora snaps her fingers, “Right! I brought your tickets,” she struggles to open her bag before she finally manages to pull out a white envelope, “And before you ask, Siyeon, I got one for Minji too.”

Siyeon scoffs. “I wasn’t going to ask.”

“You totally were.”

She takes the tickets from Bora’s hands, keeps them safe inside a wallet and throws her backpack over her shoulders. “I totally was.”

—

Siyeon doesn’t remember when it was the last time she had such a good week.

_Okay_ , maybe she does. She felt like she was floating on the clouds when _Bastille_ announced they were making a world tour last year, going crazy in the middle of a coffee shop with the rest of the _gang_ once the news came out. Siyeon still keeps the video of Yoohyeon crying to _Oblivion_ while clinging to Handong’s arm like a koala on her phone, and she’s not afraid to use it against her.

But, now that Siyeon thinks about it, that was nothing compared to having Minji present in small moments of her day. 

It started with them rushing to meet in between classes — with Siyeon panting as she makes her way into the restaurant they agreed to eat and Minji giggling while she fixes the blue mess that is her hair after running in the speed of light — and ended with Siyeon sneaking into the bar late at night, not giving a fuck if she had to wake up early the next day when Minji had her trapped on her lap while they makeout in the same cramped room where her life turned upside down just a few weeks ago.

_(“You look like you’ve been hit by a train and someone spat over your dead body,” Bora comments once Siyeon throws her backpack over the table, barely managing to keep her eyes open as she flops into the chair._

_“Thanks Bora, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”)_

Now they were heading into the arena where _1MILLION’s_ mini concert was about to happen, holding each other’s hands while they scan the place for familiar faces. Siyeon is about to call Yoohyeon when Handong appears behind them, engulfing the two of them into a tight hug that has Siyeon raising a suspicious eyebrow at her friend.

“You seem… excited,” Siyeon comments, arms crossing over her chest.

Handong shrugs, “I guess I’m just happy for Bora. She worked really hard for this.”

“Uh huh,” Siyeon narrows her eyes. Handong remains unamused. “Okay. Where is our sit?”

“Right there, in the first row,” Handong points, and at the same time Yoohyeon, Yubin and Gahyeon turn around, waving excitedly at them. “Give me your stuff and go take a look around. Don’t worry, i’ll text you ten minutes before the concert starts.”

“Fine,” Siyeon agrees. “Now go back to Yoohyeon. I can see her pouting from here.”

Handong laughs and runs back to the rest of their friends, leaving an amused pair behind.

“She’s definitely too excited to be considered normal,” Minji comments. “Something’s up.”

“Totally,” Siyeon sighs, “But now let’s go take some nice pictures, shall we?”

Minji takes her hand again and smiles. “Let’s go.”

  
  
  


Twenty minutes later and Siyeon’s camera roll is filled with nothing but Minji’s ethereal beauty. There are pictures of her lying on a large bench, under a tunnel of flowers that match the color of her hair and of course, a ton of selfies of the two of them making the silliest poses for the camera.

Siyeon locks her phone after the hundredth selfie, meets Minji’s gaze and realizes: she’s so, _so_ happy that it almost feels like she’s dreaming, like none of this is actually real.

_Almost_ , because Minji leans in and connects their lips in a soft kiss that melts her legs and quickens her heartbeat, and for once reality feels better than any other scenario inside of her head.

Minji is about to bite on Siyeon’s lips when the sound of the phone vibrating with unread messages breaks the moment, making Siyeon groan in frustration.

Minji giggles, giving Siyeon a light peck. “Don’t worry. We’ll have all the time in the world later.”

Siyeon’s face flushes a bright red. “Okay.”

She replies to Handong’s texts and soon the two of them dash to their sits, cheering with the rest of the crowd when the countdown for the beginning of the concert starts.

  
  
  


“Bora, you _fucking_ killed it! When you turned arms like this— how did you even do that?! I’m so proud of you, come here!” Yoohyeon babbles before she jumps on Bora’s arms, almost knocking the sweaty dancer on the floor.

Bora doesn’t seem to mind, hugging Yoohyeon back with the same intensity, and for once Siyeon takes her time to admire them. They’re always fighting, arguing everyday about the dumbest of things, but deep down they would die for each other — and Siyeon loves that.

Then Handong joins the hug, crashing the two of them as they share intimate looks, and the gears on Siyeon’s brain start turning so hard that she’s afraid they’ll break into pieces. She doesn’t have much time to drown in theories, though, because Minji grabs her by the hand and they throw themselves over the trio, Gahyeon and Yubin following the two of them right after. Siyeon’s heart nearly explodes with love. 

“Okay,” Bora starts loudly as soon as they pull away, “Now it’s time to party! Let’s go!”

  
  
  


The _party_ turns out to be all of them gathered in Bora’s apartment, which isn’t as large as Siyeon’s but can fit the seven of them comfortably. Bora’s fridge is filled with all types of alcohol, everything from cheap beer to expensive wine, and it doesn’t take too long for them to start becoming louder than they usually are.

“Alright, _alright_!” Bora claps her hands, jumping on the couch to grab their attention through the loud music. “Let’s play truth or dare!”

Yoohyeon cheers excitedly, taking a gulp of her drink before she all but throws herself on the floor. “Me first!”

Soon they’re all sitting in a circle, laughing at absolutely nothing when Yoohyeon starts, “Yubin! Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Is it true that you like Gahyeon?”

“Oh, come on,” Bora whines, shoving Yoohyeon’s shoulder. “Are we in fifth grade?”

“Leave me alone!” Yoohyeon pouts. “I really want to know!”

“I do.” Yubin answers without missing a beat, making all of their jaws drop simultaneously. Even Gahyeon’s. “I’m next, right?”

They’re still dumbfounded when they nod, letting Yubin consider her options while keeping their mouths shut. “Handong. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Is it true that you’ve been sneaking out of class to fuck Yoohyeon in the bathroom?”

Yoohyeon gasps. “How do you know?”

Yubin smirks. “I didn’t.”

Yoohyeon nearly dies on the spot.

“Well, I guess we already have our answer,” Gahyeon cringes, “Let’s move on.”

Handong keeps an unamused expression as she scans the room, grinning once she finds the perfect victim. “Bora.”

“Dare.”

Handong is obviously pleased by the answer, not wasting any more time before she blurts out, “I dare you to kiss Yoohyeon.”

“Holy shit,” Siyeon mutters under her breath, mouth hanging open once again. 

Bora, on the other hand, has a smirk playing on the corner of her lips as she calls Yoohyeon with her index finger. Yoohyeon’s face flushes red as she crawls into Bora’s lap, but she’s also drunk as hell, so she doesn’t think twice before crashing their lips in a messy kiss.

“Oh, oh wow,” Minji comments, not knowing if she should laugh or gasp at the scene playing in front of her. She ends up doing both.

“Okay, I think that’s enough,” Gahyeon comments, clearly mortified, and the two part while giggling at what just happened.

“What the fuck,” Siyeon breathes out, brows furrowed. It grabs Bora’s attention, and once she meets her friend’s eyes she knows she’s done for.

“Siyeon, I dare you—“

“I didn’t even say if I wanted dare!”

“To lock yourself in my room with Minji for seven minutes.”

_Fuck._

Siyeon rolls her eyes, “Really, Bora?”

“I think we should go.” Minji says, already getting up, and the rest of them explode into an unison of _woahs_.

Siyeon gulps, suddenly choosing not to fight against Bora’s stupid dare. “O-Okay.”

“Yes!” Bora celebrates, “Now go, and please don’t ruin my sheets.”

Siyeon slaps her arm. “Bora!”

“Thank me later!” Bora screams as Minji drags Siyeon into the room while fighting back a laugh, which Siyeon notices.

“I’m sorry, they’re so childish—“

Siyeon is unable to finish her sentence because Minji’s hands grab each side of her face and leans to connect their lips, pressing the younger one against the wall as she squeezes her thigh between Siyeon legs. She mewls at the touch, holding on Minji’s shoulders for support.

“I really liked this dare, actually,” Minji whispers, lips ghosting across Siyeon’s neck, “Don’t you?”

“I think—“ Siyeon struggles to form a coherent sentence as Minji starts nibbling at her pulse point. “I think I do.”

“Good.” Minji smirks, slipping her cold hands under Siyeon’s shirt.

At some point, Minji’s hand is lifting one of Siyeon’s thighs while the other is resting under the younger’s bra, making Siyeon squirm and jerk her hips upward as she chases after Minji’s lips, desperate for a way to muffle the sounds flowing out of her throat.

They’re so lost in the moment that they almost forget that this is a dare and they only have seven minutes to be alone with each other, but reality hits them like a bucket of freezing water when there's a loud knock on the door and a high-pitched voice starts calling for them.

“Time’s up! Get your asses out of my room!”

Siyeon groans, hiding her face in the crook of Minji’s neck. Minji can do nothing but to giggle, caressing Siyeon’s red cheeks and pulling her in for one last kiss.

“I don’t want to go.” Siyeon whines as she struggles to fix her clothes in the dark.

Minji tucks a strand of blue hair behind Siyeon’s ear, leaning closer to the woman so she can whisper, “We can continue this later.”

Siyeon chews on her bottom lip, eyes gleaming with excitement. “Okay.”

“Hurry! We need to continue the game!” Bora kicks the door, and Siyeon wonders how the wood is still standing after such a strong impact.

Gahyeon’s evil laugh echoes through the thin walls of the apartment when the pain settles in and Bora yelps, probably limping like a hurt puppy back to their circle.

“We should go before someone gets hurt again.” Siyeon deadpans, intertwining her fingers with Minji’s before closing the door behind them.

“Yoohyeon. Truth or dare?”

“Me again?!” Yoohyeon protests, folding her arms. Siyeon’s unamused expression doesn’t falter. Yoohyeon rolls her eyes. “Dare.”

  
  
  


Two hours go by as they continue playing, seven people utterly focused on the game as the dares start becoming more and more ridiculous. Yoohyeon even dared Minji to ring on the neighbor’s doorbell and ask them if they had a spare bottle of lube and a pack of condoms, justifying it by saying _‘Now you’re an official member of our group. Welcome to the family, Minji!’_ and proceeding to nearly knock the woman on the floor with a bear hug when she returned, face flushed and a bunch of condoms on her hands. _‘They didn’t have lube’,_ she explains, smiling sheepishly.

They dance, laugh and scream until they’re worn out, lying on different parts of the living room. Gahyeon has her head on Yubin’s stomach as they lie on the floor, Minji is sitting on an armchair with Siyeon cuddling her while Yoohyeon and Handong are passed out on the couch, with a shameless Bora literally sitting on their backs. The couple groan in disapproval of the weight, but Bora doesn’t budge.

Gahyeon and Yubin are the first ones to leave, with Minji and Siyeon following shortly after. They’re barely out the door when Minji pulls Siyeon for a passionate kiss, still panting when she says, “Let’s go to my apartment. It’s closer.”

The ride to Minji’s apartment is torturing. Siyeon wants to touch her, to grab her by the collar and kiss her again, but she can’t because they’re in a cab with a driver who’s way too slow for her liking. She considers jumping out of the moving car and running to Minji’s apartment for a second, but then Minji’s hands travel down to squeeze her thighs and suddenly she’s too weak to do anything besides resting her head on the woman’s shoulders, brows furrowed as she struggles not to make a sound.

Siyeon has no time to think once they’re inside the apartment because Minji grabs her legs and lifts her up, using her back to push the bedroom door open. Soon Minji is hovering over her, hands eager to touch every single trace of Siyeon’s body as she sucks on her pulse, making the younger’s hips jolt in a desperate attempt to get the friction she craved for.

Minji pauses her work on Siyeon’s neck to unbutton her own shirt, throwing the white clothing on the floor as she sits over Siyeon’s legs. Siyeon loses her breath at the sight, a smirk playing on the corner of her lips as she reaches out to caress the marked skin right under Minji’s covered breast. “So here is your tattoo, huh?”

Minji giggles, a little breathless, “Yeah. Do you like it?”

Siyeon pushes herself up into a sitting position, pressing her lips under the tiny moon before she answers, “I love it.”

Minji’s entire face lights up and she leans in again, hands scratching the back of Siyeon’s neck as she deepens the kiss, and Siyeon knows they’re not going to stop anytime soon.

—

Siyeon wakes up to the sound of her phone buzzing. 

She tries to ignore it. She really does. But the sound becomes unbearable so she reaches out to the nightstand and grabs her phone, unlocking it to check the messages flooding the notifications section.

**tiny devil**

_can you guys come over_

**yub**

_why_

**tiny devil**

_i have something important to talk about_

**tiny devil but make it lee**

_just say it through texts damn_

**tiny devil**

_BITCH_

_i get that you want to keep sucking yubin’s face but this is really important_

**yub**

_…_

**tiny devil**

_come over… pls_

**yub**

_fine we’re on our way_

Siyeon sighs, looking over her shoulder to stare at Minji’s naked back. She looks so peaceful that Siyeon feels like it would be a sin to wake her up.

**siyeon**

_can i at least wait for minji to wake up_

_she looks so cute rn :(_

**tiny devil**

_siyeon for the love of god i don’t have the entire day_

**siyeon**

_you do though? it’s sunday_

**tiny devil**

_._

_look fine_

_just don’t take TOO long_

**tiny devil but make it lee**

_why are handong and yoohyeon mute tho_

**tiny devil**

_:)_

**yub**

_okay i’m scared now_

Siyeon is about to type a reply when she feels arms slip around her waist, Minji’s warm pressing against hers and sending goosebumps down her spine.

“Good morning,” Minji says, voice still raspy from sleep. “What time is it?”

Siyeon drops the phone back on the nightstand and turns around in Minji’s arm, pressing a light peck on the tip of the woman’s nose. “ _1PM_. We slept quite a lot.”

Minji hums, snuggling up into Siyeon’s neck. “Who was texting you like crazy?”

Siyeon giggles, resting her chin on top of Minji’s head. “You heard that?” Minji nods, and Siyeon goes on, “It was Bora. Apparently she has something important to say and wants all of us to come over.”

“Even me?” Minji says in a giddy tone. Siyeon melts.

“Even you,” She affirms. “You’re part of the family now, remember?”

“Kind of hard to forget after the lube incident.” Minji groans at the embarrassing memory, while Siyeon throws her head back in laughter.

“Well, I guess we have to get up now,” Siyeon’s pout is almost visible in her tone, “Even though I don’t want to.”

Minji seems to be lost in her thoughts for a second, but then she looks up at the younger woman and a smirk blooms on the corner her lips. “If we get up now, we can take a shower together. How does that sound?”

Siyeon beams as a wave of excitement washes over her. “Sounds perfect.”

—

“Finally!” Bora sighs exasperatedly as Siyeon and Minji make their way into the apartment, holding hands. “What took you so long? Actually, don’t answer that, just sit your asses down.”

“Hello to you too, Bora.” Siyeon deadpans, slumping into the couch beside Gahyeon. Minji follows her action.

Siyeon narrows her eyes as she takes the view of a apprehensive Yoohyeon in, noticing the way her friend keeps fidgeting with her nails while she paces around the living room like a lost puppy. Yoohyeon only relaxes when Handong places a hand on her shoulder, flashing her a encouraging smile before the couple stands beside a slightly less tense Bora.

_Why aren’t Handong and Yoohyeon sitting—_

“We’re dating. The three of us.”

_Oh my god._

It’s a comical set of reactions. Gahyeon’s jaw is basically mopping the floor, Yubin is frowning, Minji has a neutral expression while Siyeon is… _well_ , Siyeon is laughing her lungs out.

Bora scoffs. “What?”

“Everything makes sense now,” Siyeon wipes her eyes, “I knew something going on, I just didn’t know what it was.”

“Right,” Yubin speaks up, the frown gone as her face lights up with realization, “Your crush on them was pretty obvious, Bora.”

Minji chimes in, “I thought yesterday’s kiss was already a pretty solid confirmation. Why are we acting surprised?”

“I _am_ surprised,” Gahyeon cries. “When did all of this start? And why am I the only one that didn’t notice?”

“You were too busy thinking you were being slick about your _thing_ with Yubin,” Siyeon rolls her eyes. Gahyeon grabs a cushion behind her back and throws it into her sister’s face.

Bora opens her mouth to answer Gahyeon’s question, trying to mutter out a few words, but it falls shut seconds later. Handong notices the older’s struggle, pats her shoulders and decides to explain it for her.

“The bathroom thing,” Handong says lightly, even though the tip of her ears starting to obtain a brighter color, “It wasn’t just me and Yoohyeon.”

“Wait, what—“ The words die on Gahyeon’s tongue when realization downs on her, a mortified expression painting her figures. “Oh my god, _gross_.”

“Why is it _gross_?” Yoohyeon speaks up for the first time, her cheeks flaring, “I bet you do worse with Yubin.”

Gahyeon gasps. “I— I don’t!”

Siyeon snorts, rolling her eyes. “You probably do.”

That’s all it takes for the peace between them to end. Soon Yoohyeon and Siyeon are running for their lives as Gahyeon follows them, threatening to end their lives as Bora screams for them to slow down before they end up breaking something. _Or each other_.

Handong joins Minji and Yubin on the couch, the three of them laughing as they watch the people they cherish the most act like they’re still children.

“They’re stupid,” Yubin comments, folding her arms.

Minji giggles, heart jumping as she watches Siyeon stumble over a cushion while trying to hop on Yoohyeon’s back. “Yes, they are.”

—

Siyeon spends the night at Minji’s apartment again.

Which means, she arrives late for class and has to deal with Bora’s teasing for the entire day because she didn’t notice there was a trace of Minji’s pink lipstick on her cheeks.

Handong sends their group chat a text reminding them that she has a performance today, and that she would kill them — _Siyeon_ — if they got they showed up too late. It’s Minji’s day off, but she became so fond of their little group that she couldn’t say no to the offer of hanging out with them. And, of course, of spending time with Siyeon again, even when they saw each other just a few hours ago.

So, when the clock hits ten, they’re all gathered in their usual table next to the small stage. Handong is pouring her soul out and, for a few minutes, they’re all too busy admiring her talent to do anything else.

After Handong comes down — _and gets about a hundred kisses from both Yoohyeon and Bora_ — it doesn’t take them too long to get lost in their own little worlds. Gahyeon abandoned her sit and is now on Yubin’s lap, gasping at some random youtube video the older girl is showing her. Bora and Yoohyeon are in the middle of ridiculous drinking competition, while Handong can do nothing but to laugh fondly at her silly girlfriends.

And Siyeon is playing with Minji’s hands as she flashes the woman a suspicious yet worried look, because the older one is never this quiet, at least not when they’re together. 

“What’s on your mind?”

Minji jumps at the question, offering Siyeon a bright smile when she recovers. “I have something to show you.”

That’s not the answer Siyeon was expecting, so she frowns. “You do?”

Minji nods, squeezing Siyeon’s hands. “Do you think we can sneak out for a while?”

Siyeon eyes her friends for a second, then turns back to Minji with a cheeky smile on her face. “Of course. Let’s go.”

  
  
  


“Okay, you know I trust you and all that but I’m starting to get nervous. Where are you taking me?”

Minji rolls her eyes, but a laugh escapes her lips as she says, “You’ll see, we’re almost there.”

Siyeon sighs, gripping on Minji’s hands for dear life as they continue walking through the poorly lit street. It takes them about fifteen minutes to get to their final destination, and when Siyeon takes a proper look at the place, she feels her legs growing weak from the wave of emotions that washes over every single part of her body.

“Minji, this is—”

Minji chuckles softly, understanding Siyeon’s shock. “I know. It looks just like the one from Daegu, doesn’t it?”

Siyeon nods, eyes glimmering with nostalgia as she takes a step towards the swings. “It does.”

“This can be our new secret place,” Minji laughs at her own choice of words, sitting on the empty swing beside the younger woman. “We won’t be able to spend the entire afternoon here like in the old times, but we can stop by sometimes.”

Siyeon reaches out to grab Minji’s hand, biting hard on her lower lip to stop herself from crying. Minji notices the way Siyeon’s breath becomes shaky and, with an understanding smile shining on her delicate features, she kneels in front of the woman and brings Siyeon’s head down to her shoulders, caressing the dark blue strands with all the care in the worlds before she softly whispers, “Don’t hold it back. You can cry.”

And that’s exactly what Siyeon does. 

The tears fall from her eyes and, even though she feels sorry for wetting Minji’s white shirt, she doesn’t stop. She doesn’t stop because she feels safe, _protected_ , and knows Minji genuinely cares. So, for once, she’s not afraid of letting her true emotions show.

She knows her makeup is all messed up because of the tears, but when she looks up and finds Minji staring at her as if she was the prettiest person in the world she realizes she doesn’t mind. Minji leans in, and when their lips touch for the first time that night, Siyeon knows she can’t hide it anymore.

_It’s love._

Siyeon loves Minji.

Siyeon loves every single smile, every single laugh, every single word that comes out of Minji’s cherry lips. Siyeon loves every single part of Minji’s body, from the tip of her toes to those alluring eyes that always care so much affection for her only, and she wants to be able to hold her and touch her whenever she wants, for the rest of her life. 

So she says it, in a breathless voice, while their lips are still brushing against each other, “I love you.”

Siyeon almost misses the way Minji beams before they’re kissing again. Minji’s hands find their way to both sides of her face while she allows her fingers to get lost in purple hair, giving the older’s lips a gentle bite before Minji starts pulling away with light pecks.

“I love you too,” Minji confesses, hands falling from Siyeon’s face to rest over her shoulders. “I love you so much, Siyeon.”

Siyeon feels tempted to lean in again, but she senses the woman has more to say, so she settles for a tender kiss on her cheek instead, giving her the permission to go on. 

“And there’s a reason I brought you all the way here,” Minji continues, eyes shining with unshed tears, “I want to ask you to be my girlfriend.”

Siyeon smiles, and it’s so big that it makes her cheeks hurt, but it doesn’t matter — not when she has Kim Minji, her first love, the woman she met again after long ten years, asking to be hers. She cups Minji’s face, staring deeply into those shiny circles she cherishes so much as she traces her flushed skin, and finally says, “Of course I’ll be your girlfriend, Minji.”

With that, Minji pulls Siyeon in again, and they officially seal their love under the moon and the stars.

Siyeon might have lost _Kim Jiu_ years ago, but at least she knows _Kim Minji_ will stay.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry for any mistakes and hope this was an enjoyable read!  
> if you liked this fic, please let me know! thanks for reading! ♡


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